PHOTOGRAPHY AND ILLUSTRATION 



The work of the Division of Photography and the Division of Illus- 

 tration has enabled the Museum to achieve new standards of excel- 

 lence in its illustrative material, both for its publications and for its 

 exhibits. John Bayalis and Homer V. Holdren form a team capable 

 of handling any photographic assignment, and they have enough 

 imagination to foresee the possible use of their illustrative material. 

 Miss Mary Creed, by her careful attention to the records and rou- 

 tines so essential to the operation of this division with its wide variety 

 of materials and objects, enables the photography team to devote all 

 its time to its own work. More than 124,500 negatives are now in 

 the files of the Division of Photography. 



In the field of illustration, E. John Pfiffner, ably aided by Miss 

 Marion Pahl and assisted often by illustrators or artists assigned to 

 the scientific departments, has achieved a degree of co-operation that 

 has increased production, reduced friction, and approached a "cur- 

 rent" basis in the handling of requisitions for art work. Time spent 

 in consultation to establish complete understanding is repaid many 

 times over in the production of art work that portrays clearly the 

 subject-matter with due regard for those features that call for special 

 emphasis (see pages 62 and 73). In the field of fantasy. Miss Pahl 

 has achieved a unique masterpiece with her murals in the Museum's 

 lunchroom for children (see page 94). 



MOTION PICTURES 



Throughout the year work was carried on in general maintenance of 

 films, both completed film productions and catalogued subject-foot- 

 age. This work involved the physical inspection, cleaning, and repair 

 of all film in the Museum's Film Library, which now numbers ninety- 

 nine complete productions and thousands of feet of additional film 

 on various subjects. Films that had been damaged from use were 

 replaced. Assistance was given and titles were made for a new geol- 

 ogy film on volcanoes, "Field Studies in Central American Volca- 

 nology." Films were lent to various television stations for use in 

 programs during the year. 



For many years film laboratories have been searching for a chem- 

 ical that would prolong the life of films, as a great amount of money 

 is invested in each foot of film. Early this year, after years of testing, 

 a new chemical marketed under the tradename "Vap-o-rate" was 

 created, and we undertook the treatment of all our films by this proc- 



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