The National Gallery of Art, Department of Fine Arts of the National Museum

Summary

• Detailed introduction includes a synopsis of the Board of Regents decision to include fine arts in the Smithsonian program. Describes the space provided in the Smithsonian Institution Building and the "new" United States National Museum for exhibitions, and the acceptance of the George Catlin and John Mix Stanley collections and collections from the Patent Office and National Institute. Also includes a brief biography of William Henry Holmes; the history of the National Institute collections; and the early history of the Smithsonian Building and the National Museum, especially concerning the deliberations of the Board of Regents and Henry's Programme of Organization. Provides a "narrative history of the Art Collections under the SI" which includes the history of the Catlin, Marsh, and Stanley collections, as well as a catalogue of works of art acquired by the Smithsonian since 1865.
• Also provides a detailed analysis of the Harriet Lane Johnston and the William T. Evans Collections, including biographies of the benefactors, histories of the bequests and a catalogue of each of the collections. Also features catalogues of permanent acquisitions by lesser-known sources.

Subject

• Holmes, William Henry 1846-1933
• Peale, Charles Willson
• Healy, George P. A
• Renwick, James 1818-1895
• Catlin, George 1796-1872
• Marsh, George Perkins 1801-1882
• Stanley, John Mix 1814-1872
• Langley, S. P (Samuel Pierpont) 1834-1906
• Henry, Joseph 1797-1878
• Baird, Spencer Fullerton 1823-1887
• Smithsonian Institution Building (Washington, D.C.)
• United States National Museum
• National Institute
• National Institution for the Promotion of Science
• United States Patent Office
• Library of Congress
• Corcoran Gallery of Art
• National Collection of Fine Arts
• National Gallery of Art of the Smithsonian
• Board of Regents
• National Museum of Natural History (U.S.)
• Smithsonian Gallery of Art
• William T. Evans Collection
• Natural History Building
• Centennial Exhibition (1876 : Philadelphia, Pa.)

Category

Smithsonian Institution History Bibliography

Notes

Work includes a detailed catalogue of the works of art acquired by the Smithsonian since 1865. Also includes photographs of gallery in the National Museum Building (Natural History Building), the print room, West Hall and West Range of the SI Building, works from the Harriet Lane Johnston collection (including a photograph of Harriet Lane Johnston) and the William T. Evans collection, and portraits by George P.A. Healy.

Contained within

Bulletin of the United States National Museum (Book) Vol. 70

Contact information

Institutional History Division, Smithsonian Institution Archives, 600 Maryland Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20024-2520, SIHistory@si.edu

Date

1909

Topic

• Acquisitions
• Art
• Art, American
• Architecture
• Art museums
• Secretaries
• Accessions
• Harriet Lane Johnston Collection
• Ethnology
• Museums
• History
• Galleries
• Fire of 1865
• Benefactors
• Sculpture
• Fire
• Gifts
• Art Hall
• Artists
• Accidents
• Charles Lang Freer Collection
• Fires
• Art objects
• Painting
• Museums--Acquisitions
• Art--History
• Art Museums

Place

• United States
• North America

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