KEPORT OF THE SECRETARY 57 



States, and was opened by a public reception tendered by the Board 

 of Regents of the Institution. The foreword of the catalogue, by 

 Sir Frederic G. Kenyon, G. B. E., was introduced by the following 

 lines : 



The object of the present exhibition is to bring to the notice of the American 

 people some part of the contemporary work of the artists of Great Britain. 

 It has the support of many of its leading painters, and it is believed that it 

 may fairly claim to be representative of much of the best work that is being 

 done there to-day. ilerely as an exhibition of art it is hoped that it has 

 attractiveness and merit. 



ANNUAL, EXHIBITION OF THE WASHINGTON WATER COLOR CLUB 



The annual exhibition of the Washington Water Color Club fol- 

 lowed the British exhibit and closed the loan exhibition program for 

 the season. There were 226 exhibits — 185 in water colors and 41 

 etchings, block prints, and drawings. The result in this case, as in 

 that of the local oil exhibit, was highly satisfactory. The works 

 were well shown and the attendance was gratifying. 



It may be stated in this place that it is not a definitely authorized 

 privilege of the gallery, which is a Government bureau, to entertain 

 displays for individuals or private organizations of which an essen- 

 tial feature is the privilege of making sales. The admission of the 

 exhibits of the two local societies was, as stated above, due to a serious 

 emergency that had arisen, and no objection has been raised. 



THE JOHN ROSS KEY COLLECTION OF PAINTINGS 



In January, 1927, the gallery accej)ted for temporary exhibition a 

 large collection of paintings by John Ross Key, mainly landscapes 

 of the near-by States but including a number of interesting canvases 

 representing colonial mansions of Washington and near-by Maryland 

 and Virginia. These latter paintings have much sentimental inter- 

 est aside from the subjects represented, being the handiwork of the 

 grandson of Francis Scott Key, the author of our Star-Spangled 

 Banner. At the close of the exhibition the owner, Mrs. Ellenore 

 Dutcher Key, was permitted to continue the exhibition for several 

 months beyond the stipidated period, and the collection is still held 

 in reserve at the close of the fiscal year 1928. 



REINSTALLATION OF COLLECTIONS 



At the close of the loan exhibition season in July, reinstallation of 

 tne gallery collections, largely in storage, was taken up and given 

 very careful attention, so that the appearance of the gallery to-day 

 is more satisfactory and the collections more f idly representative than 



