SECRETARY'S REPORT 33 



ment. The theme of this hall will be "Man's Knowledge of His 

 Body Then and Now," a comparison of past and present ideas and 

 knowledge of the human -body. 



Jacob Kainen, curator, and J. Harry Phillips, Jr., aide, division of 

 graphic arts, began a complete revision of the exhibits in the portion 

 of the Smithsonian Building known as the "chapel" with a view to 

 presenting a graphic explanation of the techniques of picture printing 

 and to tracing the development of the important processes employed 

 to reproduce pictures mechanically. The photogravure and roto- 

 gravure sections have been completed and the halftone relief process 

 is partially completed. The old built-in display cases have been 

 painted a light gray, and lighting has been installed in the hall for the 

 first time. 



In the section of photogi-aphy material was gathered for exhibits 

 relating to the history of stereophotography and to early motion- 

 picture devices. A series of new exhibits in the northwest gallery 

 relating to the development of the camera shutter, the camera lens, 

 artificial light, and instantaneous photography, and the applications 

 of photography to everyday life, to science and industry, to welfare, 

 and to education are now in the planning stage. 



The First Ladies Hall in the Arts and Industries Building was 

 formally opened on May 24, 1955, with the President of the United 

 States and Mrs. Eisenhower participating in the dedication. The 

 eight large display units in this hall are designed to represent dif- 

 ferent rooms in the White House from its earliest period to the present 

 time. These settings afford the visitor an opportunity to view the 

 dresses in surroundings similar to those in which they were originally 

 worn. Architectural details received from the Wliite House during 

 the recent reconstruction have been incorporated in the rooms. Each 

 room contains from three to six dresses representing a time span of 

 about 20 years, and in consequence a style of background and fur- 

 nishings typical of the period was selected to create an appropriate 

 setting for all the dresses. Changing styles in White House decora- 

 tion, from the earliest days to the present, shown in these rooms are 

 actually based on written descriptions of the White House as well as 

 available pictorial evidence. 



An exhibit illustrating the histoiy of the United States Marine 

 Corps was dedicated on August 10, 1954, in a section of the Hall of 

 Naval History, by Dr. Leonard Carmichael, Secretary of the Smith- 

 sonian, and Gen. Lemuel C. Shepherd, Commandant of the Marine 

 Corps. A colorful parade of the Marine Corps band preceded the 

 dedication. This exhibit reveals the historical development of this 

 organization by means of a series of uniforms, swords, and miscella- 

 neous items owned by notable officers and enlisted men. 



