Image Gallery - United States National Museum, 1881-1911
Rotunda of US National Museum, c. 1905, by Unknown, photographic print, Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 95, Box 38, Folder: 7, 18942 or AI-18942.: This image shows the rotunda at the center of the National Museum building. The rotunda opened on to the four large main halls. In 1890, the Statue of Freedom by sculptor Thomas Crawford was installed in its center. The Statue of Freedom was the plaster figure used to cast the statue on top of the United States Capitol’s dome. In this image, the Haviland Memorial Vase can be seen to the right, and cannons are arrayed around the base.
Lecture Hall, 1890s, by Unknown, photographic print, Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 95, Box 32, Folder: 20, 2002-10632.: A lecture room in the West North Range hosted public lectures, as well as meetings of the National Academy of Sciences and American Institute of Mining Engineers in its first year. The room contained the spectacular Catlin Indian Gallery, portraits of Indians and scenes of Plains Indian life drawn by George Catlin between 1832 and 1840.
Systematic Geology Hall, 1903, by Unknown, photographic print, Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 95, Box 43, Folder: 26 and Record Unit 95, Box 50, Folder: 8, 16279 or NHB-16279.: The geology exhibits in the South West Range were small, since many massive specimens could not be displayed. But the geology hall revealed the great beauty and complexity of North American geology through the paintings of William Henry Holmes, who traveled West on US Geological Survey expeditions. Curiosities of nature, such as stalagmites from the caverns at Luray, Virginia, and the Tucson meteorite, were used to teach geology and mineralogy. Note in this image the globe lights hanging from the ceiling, supplementing the skylight.
Zoology Exhibit in the South Hall, 1880s, by Unknown, photographic print, Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 95, Box 43, Folder: 1, 2796 or mnh-2796.: The zoological exhibits filled much of the Smithsonian Institution Building, or “Castle,” and the US National Museum. The invertebrate and bird exhibits remained in the Castle. The mammal exhibits, located in the South Hall of the US National Museum, focused on the mammals of North America and were collected on the great western exploring expeditions. This image includes two women sitting on benches in the exhibit hall. The seal exhibit is visible. The image also shows that it was taken when the museum was newly opened because the galleries have not yet been built on the second floor and the rotunda does not yet have the Statue of Freedom at its center.
American Bison exhibit, c. 1900, by Unknown, photographic print, Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 95, Box 43, Folder: 1, 2002-12153: The US National Museum became known for the quality of its taxidermy, under the direction of William Temple Hornaday. Hornaday trained with Professor Henry Ward of Rochester, New York, and was considered one of the masters of his era. He kept live animals in the South Yard behind the Castle as models for taxidermy, and eventually became the first Director of the National Zoological Park. His display of the vanishing American bison sparked interest in conservation of native American species.
Papier mâché whale, 1886, by F. C. Jones, engraving, Smithsonian Institution Archives, Information File, Box: SI Guide Books 1883-1890, Folder: Smithsonian Guide Book 1886 (Brentano Brothers), 95-20342.: Among the more spectacular exhibits was a papier mâché model of a humpback whale. When curators heard of a beached whale along Cape Cod, they sent staff with a carload of plaster of Paris. They built an enclosure around the frozen carcass and filled it with the plaster, making molds of its exterior anatomy. The papier mâché model built from those molds was made from pulp supplied by the Treasury Department from destroyed paper currency.
Fisheries Exhibit, 1886, by Unknown, photographic print, Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 95, Box 50, Folder: 7 and Record Unit 95, Box 42, Folder: 18, 2002-11551.: Smithsonian Secretary Spencer F. Baird was also US Commissioner of Fish and Fisheries at the same time that he worked at the Smithsonian. Thus, it is not surprising that there was a hall devoted to the fisheries industry in the East North Range. Baird and his Assistant Secretary George B. Goode won awards for their exhibits at several international fisheries expositions.
Materia Medica Exhibit, 1900s, by Unknown, photographic print, Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 95, Box 43, Folder: 2, 19250 or MAH-19250.: The exhibit of Materia Medica, or medicines, in the South East Range was curated by naval surgeons working for the Surgeon General. It included primitive and exotic medicines, such as dried Chinese toads and medieval mandrake roots. The Shaeffer Mineral Water Agency contributed a display on mineral waters and American springs.
Food Exhibit with Bee Hive, 1890s, by Unknown, photographic print, Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 285, Box 16, Folder: 4, 18650 or MAH-18650.: In the Comparative Technology section, a food exhibit displayed the raw materials of human foods from across the world that had originally been displayed at the 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia. The exhibit also included a living bee hive with bees borrowed from the United States Department of Agriculture.
Boat Hall, 1890s, by Unknown, photographic print, Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 95, Box 43, Folder: 10, 2964 or MAH-2964. : Equally popular and well-known was the museum’s Water Transportation exhibit in the North East Range, with its comprehensive display of boat models, from canoes to sailing craft to steam boats. The large Haida canoes from the Northwest Coast made a striking display. The Boat Hall occupied the same space from 1881, when the museum opened, through the 1960’s.
Textile Technology, 1880s, by Unknown, photographic print, Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 95, Box 42, Folder: 26, 21389 or MAH-21389.: An exhibit of textiles in the North East Court traced the history of the fiber arts from the simple stone whorl to the Jacquard loom. Spindles, shuttles, and looms were featured in this section. Examples of various fibers, weaves, and decorations were displayed on the walls and in cases. The case shown in this image is a good example of the mahogany cases on casters designed by Spencer F. Baird and George B. Goode. This case has been rolled outside so it could be photographed in natural light.
Ceramics Exhibit, 1901-1903, by Unknown, photographic print, Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 95, Box 42, Folder: 8, 2002-12156.: The Ceramics Exhibit in the West Hall had at its entrance two gigantic Haviland Memorial Vases sent by the Limoges potters of France to the 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia. Also represented were works from American potters, as well as Sevres, Dresden, Doulton, and Staffordshire. A vast collection of Native American pottery, amassed by the Smithsonian’s Bureau of American Ethnology, was the largest section of the Ceramics display.
Graphic Arts Exhibit, 1920s, by Unknown, photographic print, Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 285, Box 17, Folder: 3, 18943 or AI-18943.: In this image ceramics are visible on the second-floor gallery in the West Hall, below was the graphic arts collection developed by curator Sylvester Koehler. Koehler emphasized art as an industry, showing its technological development, rather than focusing on aesthetics. He wrote that while other curators wanted “a collection of fine showpieces to dazzle the public eye and satisfy the wants of the fastidious private collector,” he wanted a collection he could use “to teach people.”
The Herring Safe, 1886, by Unknown, engraving, Smithsonian Institution Archives, Information File, Box 13, Folder: Smithsonian Guide Books, 1886 (Brentano Bros.), 95-20321.: The metallurgy exhibit demonstrated how man worked metals from ores. One popular exhibit was a display of silver and gold ores safely stored in a Herring safe. The ores were gathered mostly by agents of the Tenth Census, and represented fully all the districts of the American West where precious metals were mined.
Chinese Gateway, 1886, by Unknown, photographic print, Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 95, Box 42, Folder: 13, 2958 or NHB-2958.: Visitors entered the Architecture Display in the East Hall through a stunning Chinese Gateway, from the 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia. Native American architecture was represented by a model of the Zuni Pueblo, on a scale of one inch to five feet. It was the size of four billiard tables. Northwest Coast craftsmanship was displayed in several totem poles.
American Indian Life Groups, c. 1901, by Unknown, photographic print, Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 95, Box 42, Folder: 7, 78-3843 or 11772-E.: The Ethnology Exhibit showed the dress, habits, and culture of civilizations around the world. The section in this image focused on Native Americans. The museum became renowned for the life groups created by artist and anthropology curator William Henry Holmes. In this image, the Catlin Indian Gallery is visible along the back wall.
George Washington Relics, 1891, by Unknown, photographic print, Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 285, Box 18, Folder: 5, SIA2010-2740 or MAH 48727-A or MAH48727A or 48727-A.: The historical relics collection in the North Hall focused on the history of the United States, preserving the icons of the founding fathers. In 1883, Secretary Spencer F. Baird had the rest of the government collections transferred from the Patent Office Building, including George Washington’s personal effects, to the museum. The Washington memorabilia included his camp equipage, several uniforms, his leather traveling desk, and personal household effects, such as furniture, china, and silver.
Franklin Printing Press, c. 1890s, by Unknown, photographic print, Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 285, Box 17, Folder: 3, SIA2010-2429 or 17539-B or MAH-17539B.: Connections of the historical relics to the famous figure were often tenuous. A favorite is the Franklin Printing Press. In 1768, Benjamin Franklin visited the printing company in London where he had apprenticed in the 1720s. Franklin purportedly took a turn at this press, although he had not operated a press when he worked there. The press was then deemed so historically valuable that it was purchased and transported to the United States, where it went on display in the Patent Office Building and later came to the Smithsonian as the “Franklin Press.”
Harriet Lane Johnston Art Collection, 1906, by Unknown, photographic print, Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 311, Box 28, Folder: 1, 20028 or MAH-20028.: In 1906, the Smithsonian formally created a National Gallery of Art, now the Smithsonian American Art Museum, so it could accept a bequest of art works from Harriet Lane Johnston, the niece of President James Buchanan who served as the President’s official hostess while he was in the White House. The Art Gallery first opened to the public in the US National Museum on November 24, 1906.