National Academy of Sciences Meeting, Smithsonian Institution Building

Summary

• Meeting of the National Academy of Sciences in the Mineral Hall, West Wing, Smithsonian Institution Building, "Castle," April 1874. Joseph Henry, the first Secretary of the Smithsonian (1846-1878) is seated at the head of the room behind a small table. The rest of the participants are seated around the room. Several maps are arranged around Henry and there are mineralogy specimens visible in their exhibit cases against the walls of the room. There are a total of 48 people present at the meeting. Although Mary Henry is the only woman identified at the meeting, there are five other women present as well.
• Those identified are as follows: 1. Joseph Henry, presiding, 2. Mary Henry, 3. William Jones Rhees, 4. Frank Wigglesworth Clarke, 5. J. S. Newberry, 6. J. C. Dalton, 7. J. E. Hilgard, 8. J. J. Woodward, 9. Peter Parker, 10. Alfred M. Mayer, 11. William Ferrel, 12. Benjamin Silliman, 13. C. E. Dutton, 14. Emil Bessels, 15. Arnold Guyot, 16. J. H. C. Coffin, 17. B. A. Gould, 18. Elias Loomis, 19. C. A. Schott, 20. George Engelmann, 21. Benjamin Pierce, 22. Simon Newcomb, 23. Lewis Henry Morgan, 24. A. A. Michelson, 25. J. S. Billings, 26. S. Wier Mitchell, 27. F. M. Endlich. Simon Newcomb (#22) has a full beard and is the gentleman sitting directly in front of Benjamin Silliman (#12).
• There remains a question concerning the identification of two individuals. There are two number "24's" on the photograph and no number "21." Therefore, it is most likely that one of these men is Pierce and the other is Michelson.

Subject

• Henry, Joseph 1797-1878
• Henry, Mary Anna 1834-1903
• Clark, Frank Wigglesworth
• Dalton, John Call 1825-1889
• Bessels, Emil 1847-1888
• Gould, Benjamin Apthorp
• Billings, John Shaw 1838-1913
• Rhees, William Jones 1830-1907
• Dutton, Clarence E (Clarence Edward) 1841-1912
• Guyot, A (Arnold) 1807-1884
• Parker, Peter
• Mayer, Alfred M
• Silliman, Benjamin 1816-1885
• Loomis, Elias
• Schott, Charles A (Charles Anthony) 1826-1901
• Newcomb, Simon 1835-1909
• Morgan, Lewis Henry 1818-1881
• Newberry, John Strong
• Hilgard, J. E
• Woodward, J.J
• Ferrel, William
• Coffin, J. H. C
• Engelmann, George
• Pierce, Benjamin
• Michelson, A. A
• Mitchell, S. Wier
• Endlich, F. M
• Smithsonian Institution Building (Washington, D.C.)
• National Academy of Sciences (U.S.)

Category

Historic Images of the Smithsonian

Notes

• This negative number has numbers written on it to identify the people attending the meeting. See also Neg. #19072 (SIA RU95 B56 F1) for the same image without the numbers written on it.
• See the "Bulletin of the Stated Session of the National Academy of Sciences" in Record Unit 7115 National Academy of Science Records, Box 1, Folder 15 for a list of speakers. Emil Bessels presence dates this photograph.

Contained within

Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 95, Box 28, Folder: 22

Contact information

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

Date

April 1874

Restrictions & Rights

No restrictions

Topic

• Women
• Secretariats
• Meetings
• Secretaries
• Smithsonian Institution
• Personnel management
• Employees
• Scientists
• History
• Women--History
• Smithsonian Institution--Employees

Form/Genre

• Photographic print
• Group

ID Number

MAH10844

Physical description

Color: Black and White; Size: 10w x 8h; Type of Image: Group; Medium: Photographic print

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