jmsmtm 



Figure 57. — Fishing net for deep water designed by B. W . li.ik-. Paiciit ytrj. June 4, 1H38. 



to the overworked reproduction of cuts from Diderot, 

 the Book of Trades, the Journal of the Franklin Insti- 

 tute, or the Scientific American that fill our Hterature 

 and anchor many a museum exhibit. 



Perhaps in the future, the drawings and related 

 files will be more widely used to describe forgotten 

 techniques and implements, to suggest attitudes of 

 taste and fashion, to define technical accomplishment, 

 or to document survivals of the past; in other words, 

 they will be used as cultural documents reflective 

 of a very wide range of activity within a given period. 

 To date, they remain largely unused for this purpose. 

 Their accessibility is physically difficult; their content 

 is little appreciated; and their bulk is tremendous with 



guides few and far between. It is hoped that this 

 paper will call attention to this situation, and further, 

 that, if these voluminous files now preserved in the 

 National Archives are eventually reevaluated, some 

 consideration will be given to indexing them on a 

 cultural basis. '^ But, regardless of what form long- 

 term revision of these records may take, they remain 

 a lively source of social history, one needing to be 

 fully explored. 



" For example, these records might be indexed according to 

 George P. Murdock and others. Outline of Cultural Materials 

 (New Haven, Conn.: Human Relations Area Files, Inc., 1950). 



For sale by the .Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Print: 

 Washington, D.C. 20402. Price 70 cents. 



:ing Office 



