REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1909. 15 



gated, and since the fitting up of the second story of the Smithsonian 

 building has so far failed to secure the approval of Congress, it has 

 been decided to make temporary use of one of the skylighted halls in 

 the new Museum building. Its adaptation to this purpose will be 

 taken up early in the new fiscal year. 



It should be mentioned that the full-length portrait of Guizot, the 

 French statesman and writer, by G. P. A. Healy, belonging to the 

 Government, has been recalled from the Corcoran Gallery of Art. 

 An important addition to the historical portrait series is a full- 

 length painting of Kear-Admiral George W. Melville, U. S. Navy, 

 by Sigismond de Ivanowski. This portrait was executed on the 

 order of a number of friends of the distinguished naval officer and 

 presented through the American Society of Mechanical Engineers at 

 their annual meeting held in Washington in May, 1909. 



The collossal marble statue of Washington by Horatio Greenough, 



which had stood in the Capitol grounds for many years and was 



transferred to the custody of the Smithsonian Institution by an act 



of Congress approved May 22, 1908, as announced in the last report, 



was removed during the j^ear and installed in the apse of the west 



hall of the Smithsonian building, where it rests upon a low marble 



pedestal. 



LOAN COLLECTION OF ART TEXTILES, ETC. 



The loan collection of art textiles and other objects of artistic 

 workmanship begun in May, 1908, by Mrs. James W. Pinchot, with 

 the assistance of a number of ladies of Washington, has received much 

 attention and its importance has been gi^eatly increased by many 

 valuable additions. The limited amount of space which could be 

 allotted to this subject in the picture gallery of the Museum building 

 tended to restrict the number of contributions, but as soon as the 

 removal of the paintings to another hall has been effected the entire 

 area of the present hall will become available. The collection is now 

 contained in 24 cases, of which 9 are devoted to laces, 7 to other art 

 fabrics, 4 to porcelains, 2 to enamels, and 2 to fans. With these are 

 also exhibited numerous examples of silverware, jewelry, and wood 

 and ivory carving. The assemblage of lace constitutes the most note- 

 worthy part of the collection, being exceeded in variety and value in 

 this country, it is said, only by the collections of the Metropolitan 

 Museum of Art of New York and the Boston Museum of Fine 

 Arts. This art movement, so auspiciously inaugurated and so earn- 

 estly supported, if it be sedulously followed up, is certain to prove 

 an important factor in the future history of the National Museum. It 

 was started with the definite purpose of stimulating the formation of 

 a permanent exhibit which should be valued not only on account of its 

 attractiveness and historical interest, but more especially as furnish- 

 12048—09 2 



