26 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1914. 



all are alike and are copied from a classic statue. The coiffure, 

 usually with its ornaments, if any are shown, is molded, and is based 

 upon a picture of the person represented or upon the style of the 

 time to which the costume belongs. The differences which these pro- 

 duce, together with changes in pose, all tend to obliterate the effect 

 of uniformity in facial featiires, and give to each head the impres- 

 sion of separate design. Neck ornaments are equally in plaster, and 

 the arms are molded from living models, including the gloves, where 

 they are worn. The draping has been well and tastefully done and 

 the effects are unusually realistic, most markedly so in certain of 

 the figures where the conditions were most favorable. The plaster 

 work has been executed by Mr. H. W. Hendley, formerly of the 

 Museum staff, under the direction of Mr. W. H. Holmes, while the 

 dressing of the figures has been done by Mrs. Julian James and Mrs. 

 Hoes, or under their supervision. In addition to the figures each 

 case also contains one or two pieces of furniture, such as tables and 

 chairs, and one or more other small articles having some relation to 

 the administration represented. These give a more finished appear- 

 ance to the cases and add to the historical interest of the collection. 



The 15 presidential administrations illustrated are as follows: 

 George Washington, 1T89-1797; John Adams, 1797-1801; James 

 Madison, 1809-1817; James Monroe, 1817-1825; Andrew Jackson, 

 1829-1837; Martin Van Buren, 1837-1811; William Henry Harrison, 

 1841; John Tyler, 1841-1845; James K. Polk, 1845-1849; James 

 Buchanan, 1857-1861; Ulysses S. Grant, 18G9-1877; Rutherford B, 

 Hayes, 1877-1881; Benjamin Harrison, 1889-1893; William Mc- 

 Kinley, 1897-1901 ; William H. Taft, 1909-1913. 



The first of these administrations is represented by Mrs. Martha 

 Washington, who is seated in one of her own chairs, by the side of a 

 Mount Vernon table, on which is a Washington silver platter con- 

 taining a tea cup and saucer given her by the French officers, a de- 

 canter and glass, and a Lowestoft bowl. The gown which she wears 

 is of silk rep, of the old-fashioned salmon pink color, and is made of 

 many straight widths, pleated on a bodice slightly pointed front and 

 back. The entire dress is hand painted in a brocade design, in im- 

 itation of purple ribbons artistically entwined and caught in loops, 

 producing a repetition of larger and smaller rounded spaces, the 

 former containing small nosegays, the latter, insects and other small 

 animal forms, all done in their natural colors. There is a lace cap 

 on the head and an embroidered linen shawl about the shoulders. 

 The hands, in silk mitts, hold a workbag, on which is embroidered 

 " Mrs. M. Washington " in gold, surrounded by a wreath of flowers 

 in bright colors. While recognizing the futility of comparisons, this 

 figure would seem to be the most realistic of the group, and, though 



