Interior and Exterior of Patent Office Building 1891
ID: SIA2007-0134
Creator: Meeker, E. J
Form/Genre: Engraving
Date: 1891
Citation: Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 285, Box 26, Folder: 3
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The Smithsonian Institution Archives welcomes personal and educational use of its collections unless otherwise noted. For commercial uses, please contact photos@si.edu.Summary
- Engraving shows interior and exterior views of the Patent Office Building. The view of the exterior is in the upper left hand corner and shows flags atop two entrances. People are strolling outside. The Old Patent Office building is a Greek Revival structure built by Robert Mills between 1836 and 1866. It was designed to display the models that inventors submitted with their patent applications and also provided space for exhibits of public interest beyond patent models.
- The inside view of an exhibit gallery shows exhibit cases, sculptures, paintings, and visitors. A man sits at a desk reading. The National Institute for the Promotion of Science collections were exhibited there from the 1840s to 1883. Their collections were transferred to the Smithsonian in 1858 and 1883 and became the core of its museums. The building was transferred to the Smithsonian Institution in 1958. In 1968 Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM) and National Portrait Gallery (NPG) collections were moved to the old Patent Office Building which was named the Fine Arts and Portrait Galleries (FA & PG). In 1981, the FA & PG Building was renamed the American Art and Portrait Galleries.
Subject
- Mills, Robert 1781-1855
- National Institute for the Promotion of Science
- Patent Office Building (POB)
- American Art and Portrait Galleries
- Smithsonian American Art Museum
- Fine Arts and Portrait Galleries Building (FA&PG)
- National Portrait Gallery (U.S.)
Category
Historic Images of the Smithsonian
Notes
From Harper's Weekly, April 11, 1891, Volume XXXV, No. 1790, page 268, drawn by E. J. Meeker after photographs by Bell, Washington, D.C.
Contained within
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 285, Box 26, Folder: 3
Contact information
Institutional History Division, Smithsonian Institution Archives, 600 Maryland Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20024-2520, SIHistory@si.edu
Date
1891
Restrictions & Rights
No restrictions
Topic
- Museum buildings
- Patents
- Art
- Sculpture
- Architecture
- Models (representations)
- Exhibitions
- Museums
- Art objects
- Museum visitors
- Patent Models
Place
Washington (D.C.)
Form/Genre
- Engraving
- Interior
ID Number
SIA2007-0134
Physical description
Color: Black and White; Size: 10w x 8h; Type of Image: Interior; Medium: Engraving