REPORT OF NATIONAL. MUSEUM, 1910. 53 



for the attachment of pictures. Measurmg only 13 feet 11 inches 

 high, an open interspace of 3 feet occurs between the top of the gen- 

 eral inclosing walls and the under surface of the ceiling girders which 

 span the piers. All inside wall surfaces have a 6-inch base of pink 

 Tennessee marble, surmounted by a wood base of the same height, 

 and followed by a molded wainscot rail 3 feet above the floor. All 

 interior compartments, except the south room and the corridors, are 

 also provided with a 2^-inch round handrail of oak at the same 

 height as the wainscot rail, supported on ornamental cast-iron brack- 

 ets. This rail is generally about 2 feet from the wall, but in some 

 places the distance is reduced to 1 foot 4 inches to avoid obstructing 

 openings. With the exception of the handrail, all exposed wood- 

 work, including the doorway trims and the molding along the tops 

 of the screens, is of c}'press. 



The surface for the hanging of pictures measures 10^ feet high from 

 the wainscot rail to the top molding, and has a total linear extent, 

 excluding openings, of about 950 feet. It is covered with burlap, as 

 is also the space between the baseboard and the wainscot rail, the 

 color of this material being a dark green in the rooms and a light 

 brown in the corridors. 



The exterior surfaces of the inclosing walls, used for ethnological 

 subjects, are provided with marble and wood bases of the same char- 

 acter as those in the interior, but they lack the wamscot and hand- 

 rails. Tlie burlap covering is of the light-brown color used in the 

 corridors. 



The construction of the Gallery screens was fuiished in Februar}'^, 

 1910, and the hanging of the paintings about the middle of March. 

 The installation, directed by the curator of the Gallery, Mr. William 

 H. Holmes, proved most effective and resulted in a harmony of 

 arrangement wliich elicited the warmest praise. It should also be 

 stated that, upon tlie completion of this task, the lighting conditions, 

 though designed for another purpose, were found to be exceptionally 

 good. 



In these new quarters the Gallery was informally opened to the 

 public from noon until 5 o'clock on the afternoon of March 17, 1910. 

 Admission was by card, partly to prevent undue crowding and partly 

 to bring the event specially to the attention of Congress, the official 

 body in Washington, and all other j)ersons knoAvn to be interested in 

 the promotion of art at the Nation's Capital. The attendance reached 

 about 1,600, and the appreciation manifested was extremely grati- 

 fying. The space prepared for the occasion, includmg also the sur- 

 rounding parts of the main hall and the adjacent ranges, wliich 

 contained some of the best of the ethnological groups and historical 

 exhibits, provided ample room for the circulation and comfort of the 

 guests. Since that time the Gallery has continued open. The num- 



