Agency history, 1921-1962

Subject

• Bartsch, Paul 1871-1960
• United States National Museum Department of Marine Invertebrates
• United States National Museum Division of Mollusks
• United States National Museum Division of Marine Invertebrates
• United States Exploring Expedition (1838-1842)

Category

Agency History

Notes

• This is an agency history. It does not describe actual records. The Smithsonian Institution Archives uses these histories as brief accounts of the origin, development, and functions of an office or administrative unit to set that unit in its historical context. To find information on record holdings, please double-click the highlighted field "Creator/Author", which will open on a brief view of relevant records.
• Guide to the Smithsonian Archives
• The United States National Museum's collection of corals was originally entrusted to the care of the Department of Marine Invertebrates which was established in 1880. Of particular importance in that collection were the corals collected by the United States Exploring Expedition, 1838-1842. In 1914, Marine Invertebrates was merged with the Division of Mollusks to form a single Division of Marine Invertebrates. In 1921, the Division of Mollusks was reestablished and the coral and helminthological collections were turned over to it. The Curator of the Division of Mollusks, Paul Bartsch, began to refer to a Section of Corals in his annual reports although there was never a curator for the Section. This practice continued until the coral collection was transferred to the Division of Marine Invertebrates about 1962.
• For a history of the larger creationg unit, refer to "Forms part of" above.

Repository Loc.

Smithsonian Institution Archives, Capital Gallery, Suite 3000, MRC 507; 600 Maryland Avenue, SW; Washington, DC 20024-2520

Date

• 1921
• 1921-1962

Topic

• Marine invertebrates
• Corals
• Invertebrate zoology

Form/Genre

Mixed archival materials

Local number

SIA AH00026

Full Record

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