REPORT ON THE DIVISION OF HISTORY 

 (Theodore T. Belote, Curator) 



In 1921 the division of history was removed from the department of 

 anthropology and placed as a separate unit under the department of 

 arts and industries, its report since 1925 for convenience having been 

 combined with that of that department. With a reorganization 

 during the present year, the division of history now renders a separate 

 account of its activities. 



The historical collections have been divided into the following 

 units: Art, antiquarian, costume, military, naval, numismatic, and 

 philatelic. These terms refer to the intrinsic character of the histor- 

 ical materials and indicate categories for the classification, installa- 

 tion, preservation, and future development of the immense mass of 

 objects of various types now in the care of the division. The arrange- 

 ment of the material in each of these groups has been greatly facili- 

 tated during recent years by the assignment of suitable exhibition and 

 storage space in the Arts and Industries Building for the entire 

 historical collections. Much of the time of the historical staff has 

 been occupied with transferring materials from the Natural History 

 Building to the Arts and Industries Building, but the rearrangement 

 of all this material has not yet been completed. 



ACCESSIONS FOR THE YEAR 



Additions to the collections during the year were smaller in numbers 

 than in recent years, chiefly because of lack of exliibition and storage 

 space for new specimens of bulky size, the necessity of depending upon 

 gifts for material that has become comparatively scarce and valuable, 

 and the adoption of a high standard for material accepted. Speci- 

 mens added numbered 5,537, or 519 less than for the previous year. 



In the antiquarian collections several objects of special interest 

 were added. One of these is a small compass in a leather case which 

 was carried by William Clark during the Lewis and Clark expedition 

 to the Pacific coast, 1804-6, and presented by Miss Mary McCabe. 

 Another is a silver vase given to Maj. Gen. Silas Casey, when captain 

 of the Second Infantry, United States Army, in recognition of his 

 services during the War with Mexico. It was lent to the Museum by 

 Miss Sophie Pearce Casey. Seven pieces of chinaware owned during 

 the early part of the nineteenth century by President James Madison 

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