120 REPORT OF N"ATI01TAL MUSEUM, 1923. 



A temporary exhibit was opened in the chapel on February 5, in 

 commemoration of the two hundredth anniversary of the issue of the 

 first piece of printing under Benjamin Franklin's name. This con- 

 sisted of 84 prints relating to his life arranged by The American 

 Printer, with ten from Rene Bache, one of Franklin's descendents, 

 and others from the collections of the division, — altogether a de- 

 cidedly interesting graphic assembly of facts about America's most 

 noted early printer. 



In many of the technical exhibit-s one or more specimens are 

 needed to bring the series to completion. Stephen H. Horgan, of 

 New York, an authoritative writer on the graphic arts, supplied un- 

 trimmed woodburytypes, which were incorporated in our exhibit. 

 W. H. Pountney Company of Boston, added a building iron and 

 samples of wax to the wax engraving exhibit. Excellent examples of 

 lithography in colors by the present photomechanical methods were 

 the gift of the United States Printing and Lithograph Company of 

 New York and The Stubbs Company of Detroit. From the Chicago 

 Tribune came specimens of rotary intaglio prints in color, which are 

 said to be the first ever used in a newspaper, April 1922. The Gov- 

 ernment Printing Office and several firms made possible the new ex- 

 hibit of marbled paper. 



Exhibits which were in progress at the end of this fiscal year are 

 letter press printing, to which a valuable contribution was made by 

 the Marchbanks Press of New York ; printing for the blind ; overlay 

 and underlay ; these all should be completed shortly. Modern methods 

 of casting type is an exhibit that is much needed and while promises 

 have been made nothing as yet has been received. The finishing of 

 these and improving the ones already installed will be the work for 

 next year. 



Mr. A. J. Olmsted, custodian of the section of photography, 

 makes the following report as to the collections under his charge. 



SECTION OF PHOTOGRAPHY. 



This year has added to the section of photography a notable 

 assortment of material, very evenly distributed among the various 

 departments. Twenty nine accessions were received, one less than 

 last year, totaling 222 specimens, of which 136 were loans returned, 

 leaving a gain of 86 for the year. One old specimen, the Jenkins 

 motion picture projector, was returned to the inventor. The total 

 number therefore in the section on June 30, 1923, was 5,056. 



Floyd Vail of New York, Fellow of the Royal Photographic 

 Society, as noted in last years report gave most generous assistance 

 towards making the pictorial section the best in America, has main- 

 tained his interest in the collection and has been of aid in obtaining 

 :^ccessions, exhibits and much needed publicity. 



