52 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1914. 



important and urgent subjects is a full representation of the useful 

 woods, finished to show their adaptability to different purposes. The 

 manufacture of paper with the use of wood pulp is an industrial 

 problem deserving detailed attention, and there are many others to be 

 presented in the direction of the usages of wood in the arts and manu- 

 factures, and the extracts from wood which are of great variety and 

 utility. 



There is also the further subject of foodstuffs, of which the Mu- 

 seum once possessed a large collection, that has greatly deteriorated 

 through long storage. It is, nevertheless, exceedinglj^ rich in ex- 

 amples of the foods of the Indian peoples of this country and con- 

 tains specimens which can not now be duplicated. 



ART TEXTILES. 



While textiles of high artistic craftsmanship have always had a 

 place in the organization of the department of arts and industries, 

 and an important loan collection of laces was formerly exhibited, cir- 

 cumstances prevented, for a number of years, the continuance of 

 activities in this line. The subject, in fact, lay dormant until 1908 

 Avhen unexpected assistance was tendered the Museum, and its ac- 

 ceptance has resulted in the building up of a collection remarkable 

 for its comprehensiveness and for its worth. The proposition came 

 from Mrs. James W. Pinchot, who has been supported and aided by 

 many ladies of this city, a committee being formed and a few ardent 

 devotees of the movement giving much of their time to the promotion 

 of its interests. Mrs. Pinchot herself entered into the matter with 

 deepest concern, obtaining desirable materials from every possible 

 source, giving and lending on a greater scale than any other, and 

 during long periods she engaged daily in the installation and labeling 

 of the specimens. 



The collection assembled through these means is composed pri- 

 marily of laces which in number and variety are excelled in only 

 two other museums in this country. Of other art fabrics, such as 

 velvets, brocades, and embroideries, there is also an excellent presenta- 

 tion, and even very different though associated subjects of art, in the 

 shape of fans, enamels, jewelry, etc., have been admitted. With this 

 comliination the collection is naturally very beautiful throughout, 

 and in large part it is also markedly brilliant from the display of 

 rich coloring and design. It likewise reaches back through a period 

 of several centuries, bringing down to us the culture and refinement 

 of the past, as recorded by skilled designers and craftsmen, in many 

 rare and treasured heirlooms. 



In reviving and fostering this nuiseum branch, which offers so 

 much of interest and pleasure to the casual visitor, the main idea has 

 been, by affording acquaintance with the various kinds of art fabrics, 



