SECRETARY'S REPORT 17 



Civil history.— T\\Q division of political history received a number 

 of interesting donations. President Dwiglit D. Eisenhower presented 

 a group of intricately carved figures, chariots, and horses, in ivory 

 and sandalwood, representing a scene from the Mahabbarata, given 

 to him by the President of India. Among the items given this year 

 by Lincoln Isliam were the gold-and-enamel bracelet worn by Mrs. 

 Lincoln as First Lady and a black onyx lapel watch worn by her after 

 the death of her husband. The dessert plates from the state china used 

 at the White House during the administration of President James 

 K. Polk were given by Mr. and Mrs. B. Woodruff Weaver. Additions 

 to the collection of American period costumes included a wedding 

 dress of about 1800, given by Mrs. Susan Iglehart; an 18th-century 

 woman's brocade caraco jacket, presented by Mrs. James L. Collins, 

 Jr. ; and two dresses worn in Maryland in Colonial days, donated by 

 Miss Katherine K. Scott. 



From the family of Harry T. Peters the division of cultural history 

 received the America-on-stone collection, comprising nearly 2,000 

 lithograplis by printmakers other than Currier and Ives. Political 

 cartoons, sporting pictures, and urban views are only a few of the 

 many classifications in which the collection has authoritative repre- 

 sentation. The Cooper Union Museum donated a group of 89 

 musical instruments, predominantly plucked-string instruments such 

 as lutes and guitars, which were needed to supplement existing col- 

 lections. An important transfer from the National Park Service 

 comprises 37 pieces of mid- 19th-century cast-iron architectural ele- 

 ments from the waterfront district of St. Louis. 



Among important accessions received in the division of philately 

 and postal history is the A. H. Wilheim collection of United States 

 plate number and position blocks of stamps of the period between 

 1894 and 1958. Nearly every printing plate used in the production of 

 United States stamps is represented in all positions. An excellent 

 reference collection of Japan's 1-sen value postage stamps of 1872 was 

 donated by L. W. Christenson. John P. V. Heinmuller presented one 

 album of Zeppelin covers, completing the transaction started last year. 

 B. H. Homan, Jr., transferred his previously lent specimens of Saxony 

 stamps as a gift. Supreme Court Justice John M. Harlan donated 

 a considerable number of early United States covers extracted from 

 the papers of his grandfather, Supreme Court Justice John M. 

 Harlan (1833-1911). 



The most important accession received by the division of numis- 

 matics is the collection of Russian coins and medals struck in the name 

 of Czar Peter the Great, donated by Willis H. Du Pont. Mr. Du Pont 

 also presented the 11 volumes of Grand Duke Mikhailovich's monu- 

 mental and very rare monograph on Russian coins. The Grand 



