138 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1921. 



which fell within the area of the Fort, and some of them of the 

 diameter of this vase." These interesting souvenirs of the bombard- 

 ment of Fort McHenry have been installed in the case with the 

 original United States flag which flew over the fort at that time 

 and which inspired Francis Scott Key to write the words of the 

 Star Spangled Banner. They are presented to the Museum by Mr. 

 Alexander Gordon, jr., of Baltimore, a great-grandson of Lieut. 

 Col. George Armistead. A very handsome gold mounted and jew- 

 eled sword presented to Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan in 1861 by 

 the city of Philadelphia was donated to the Museum by his daughter, 

 Mme. Paul Desprez. A particularly interesting relic in connection 

 with the lives of famous Americans is an iron wedge bearing the 

 initials "A. L," which was used by Abraham Lincoln when a resi- 

 dent of New Salem, 111., 1830-1834, and given by him to Mentor 

 Graham, his instructor in surveying. This important memento of 

 the early life of the great war President has been presented to the 

 Smithsonian Institution by Mr. Henry W. Allen, of California. 

 Other notable relics of the Civil War acquired during the past fiscal 

 year were a dress sword with belt, sash, gauntlets, and spurs, pre- 

 sented to Brig. Gen. Marcus La Rue Harrison by the officers and 

 men of his command, the First Arkansas Regiment, and donated to 

 the Museum by Mrs. Harrison. The National American Woman's 

 Suffrage Association has added to their already large and interesting 

 collection of relics in the Museum a gold badge presented to Susan 

 B. Anthony by the Citizens Suffrage Association of Philadelphia in 

 1848, a flag pin presented to her by the ladies of Wyoming on the 

 occasion of her eightieth birthday in 1900, and the distinguished 

 service medal awarded to Dr. Anna Howard Shaw by the United 

 States War Department for especially meritorious and conspicuous 

 service as chairman of the Woman's Committee of the Council of 

 National Defense during the War with Germany. The biographical 

 collections have also been increased by a large collection of objects re- 

 lating to the scientific career of Joseph Henry, first Secretary of 

 the Smithsonian Institution, transferred from the division of me- 

 chanical technology. 



The principal feature of the period costumes section of the his- 

 torical collections, namely, the series of costumes worn by mistresses 

 of the White House, has been brought up to date by the addition of 

 the dress worn by Mrs. Ellen Louise Wilson during the first adminis- 

 tration of President Wilson. This costume of satin brocade, the 

 bodice trimmed with rhinestones and pearls and the train of lace, 

 has been lent by Mrs. Wilson's daughter. Miss Margaret Wilson. 

 Other additions of note to the costumes section included a number 

 of costumes covering the period from colonial times to the present 

 day, both American and European, the gift of the estate of Mrs. 



