1887.] PROCf:EDlNGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 721 

 Fkame 63.— T. Johnson, Nos. 388-393. 



Frame GA.—F. 8. Kimj, Nos. 394-396. R. Tietze, Nos. 397 and 398. 

 G. E. Johnson, No. 399. 



Frame 65. — Elbrklge Kingsley, Nos. 400-404. 



Frame 66 aud Screen 6, in corridor.— (?. Eruell, Nos. 405-412 and 

 439. 



Frame 67.-7?. A. Midler, Nos. 413-417. 



Frame 6S.—Miss G. A. Powell, Nos. 418 and 419. Henri/ Wolf, Nos. 

 420 aud 421. 



Frame 69.— *S'. G. Putnam, Xos. 422-425. 



Frame lO.—Franl- E. Wellimjton, Nos. 426-431. 



Frame 11.— Robert Staudenhaur, No.s. 432 aud 433. 



Frame 72.— Glared ins, No. 434, Unknown, No. 435. 



Screen 5, iu corridor.—./, (r. Smithwich; No. 436. 



Part III.— Etching in the United States. 



[Alcoves 7, 8, 9. Cases 19-27 ami screens 7-10. J 



The art of etchiiig-, being specifically a painter's art, and more espe- 

 cially the art of those paiuters who either value the line for its charac- 

 ter rather than its formal beauty, or seek strong eflects of light and 

 shade, was not cultivated iu the United States during the first three- 

 quarters of the century as assiduously as the wood-cut. There were, 

 indeed, at all times a few artists who occasionally tried their luck with 

 the point and the acid, but their efforts were isolated, and were not en-' 

 couraged by their contemi)oraries. The public at large took no inter- 

 est in this form of art until after the establishment of the New York, 

 Etching Club, in 1877, and the publicatiou of the American Art Review, 

 in 1879-1881. Comparatively few of the etchings here shown, therefore, 

 are of earlier date, and none go farther back than 1852 ; but these are 

 sufficient to mark the great change which has taken place since then, 

 not only in the art of etching, but iu the conception of art generally. 



Concerning the character of the present exhibition as a whole, it is 

 necessary to state that special stress has been laid upon the painter- 

 etchings {i. e., original work), and the smaller reproductive plates made 

 from about 1877 to about a year or two ago, while the large plates of a 

 more commercial character which have appeared lately are represented 

 only by a few selected speciuiens. Dry-point work being also in favor 

 Proc. N, M. 87 46 



