SECRETARY'S REPORT 187 



collections were made by members of the staff in connection with of- 

 fers of gift or for expert opinion. About 1,550 inquiries requiring 

 research were answered verbally and by letter. John Walker, Chief 

 Curator of the Gallery, gave a lecture at the Newark, N. J., Museum 

 before the opening of an exhibition of Old Masters from American 

 Collections. He also lectured to Miss Porter's School in Farming- 

 ton, Conn., on the Kress paintings which were placed on exhibition 

 on March 17. Miss Elizabeth Mongan assisted with seminar courses 

 on prints at Beaver College, Bryn Mawr College, and Swarthmore 

 College. She also lectured to school and adult groups in and around 

 Philadelphia. Erwin O. Christensen gave a lecture on the decorative 

 arts in the National Gallery to an adult women's group at the Uni- 

 versity of Maryland. He also delivered one of the Sunday afternoon 

 Gallery lectures on the decorative arts. John Pancoast gave one of 

 the regular weekly tours on the Italian Sculpture in the Samuel H. 

 Kress Collection. Hereward Lester Cooke lectured at Washington 

 University in St. Louis on "Picasso in the Chester Dale Collection." 



Mr. Cooke assisted in the judging of seven art exhibitions during 

 the course of the year in Maryland, Virginia, and the District of 

 Columbia. 



Mr. Walker served as trustee of the American Federation of Arts, 

 the American Academy in Rome, and the Bureau of University Travel. 

 He also served on the following committees : Dumbarton Oaks Visit- 

 ing Committee; Harvard University Press Visiting Committee; 

 Advisory Council, University of Notre Dame. Mr. Walker is also a 

 member of the United States National Commission for UNESCO. 

 Perry B. Cott served as a member of the Board of Governors of the 

 Archaeological Institute of America, Washington Society. Katharine 

 Shepard served as secretary of this organization and was official 

 delegate to its General Meeting in Chicago. 



For the first half of the year members of the curatorial staff were 

 intensively engaged in the preparation of new installations and re- 

 hanging of the Samuel H. Kress Collection, which was opened to the 

 public on March 18. These included 26 galleries containing paintings, 

 6 galleries containing sculpture, and 3 rooms especially designed for 

 the exhibition of Renaissance bronzes. These installations were under 

 the supervision of the Director, Dr. Finley; the Chief Curator, Mr. 

 Walker; and Mr. Cott. 



RESTORATION 



Francis Sullivan, Resident Restorer of the Gallery, made regular 

 and systematic inspection of all works of art in the Gallery's collec- 

 tions and on loan at the Gallery, and periodically removed dust and 

 bloom as required. Mr. Sullivan relined 12 paintings, cleaned and 



