124 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSF>UM, 1893. 



(luctive or nmltiplyiiig arts is by no means the smallest. Like the art of printing 

 books from movable type, these arts woro the outfomo of the individualistic and 

 humanistic movement of the time, and like it they have been instrumental in dis- 

 seminating knowledge and training the human mind in the modern way of looking 

 at things — the modern "world concejition" — not only by accompanying the printed 

 word by printed i)ictures in books of iustruction, but still more by scattering broad- 

 cast among the people in vast numbers veritable works of art, which ministered 

 to the reawakened feeling for the beauty of nature, while they quickened at the 

 same time the powers of observation. It is worth noting, moreover, how closely the 

 dates of importance in the first period of the history of the arts in question cluster 

 around the date of the discovery of America. The first book illustrated with copper- 

 plate engravings, the Monte Sancto di Dio, appeared at Florence in the year 1477; 

 Martin Schonganer, the lirst truly great artist north of the Alps who was active as 

 an engraver, died in the year 1491, or thereabouts; the Nurembei'g Chronicle, cele- 

 brated for its many illustrations by Wolgemuth, Diirer's teacher, is dated 1493; 

 Diirer's Apocalyiise, the^rst great woodcut publication ever produced, appeared in 

 the year 1498, and Andrea Mantegna. the first truly great engraver south of the 

 Alps, died in the year 1506. It would have seemed fitting, therefore, that in the 

 picture of the world's progress since the discovery of America, which the Columbian 

 Exposition was to present to its visitors, the history of the multiplying arts should 

 have been illustrated quite fully. The limitations of means and space, however, 

 made such an illustration impossible, and the result was an exhibition which com- 

 manded no attention, and, indeed, hardly deserved any. 



Small and inadeiiuate as this exhibition was,* its usefulness was still further crip- 

 pled by the impossibility of having the descriptive pamphlet printed which had been 

 pre])ared, and without which the fragmentary character of the collection must neces- 

 sarily have proved'puzzling, even to well-informed visitors. 



As to the specimens shown, while they were all good, and some of them, indeed, 

 very fine, there were nevertheless wanting quite a number of things which ought to 

 have been included, but instead of which, from dire necessity, inferior examples 

 were exhibited. 



When an institution like the U. S. National Museum, the only institution of its 

 kind under the care of the Government of the United States, attempts to illustrate 

 the beginnings of line-engraving, of mezzotinting, of color-printing from metal 

 plates, etc., it ought to be able to show the rarest and best things, — for instance, a 

 specimen of the best of Schongauer's, instead of only a late impression from a Schon- 

 ganer plate; a mezzotint by Von Siegen, instead of merely aWallerant Vaillant; color- 

 prints by Le Blon and Debucourt, instead of things of little inii>ortance by D'Agoty 

 and Jaminet, and so on to the end of the list. It is aggravating to be compelled 

 to appear before the assembled delegates of the civilized nations of the world with 

 such a confession of poverty, more especially when it is universally known that the 

 insufficiency of the efibrts put forth is due, not to the poverty of the nation, but to 

 the neglect of the representatives of the people, into whose hands has been given 

 the welfare as well as the upholding of the reputation of the United States. 



What the curator has said merits serious thought, for the collections 

 are uudoubtedly pitifully poor iu comparison with those of othei 

 nations, and a national i)rint collection onght to be maintained in 

 Washington worthy of the nation. It has. however, never been pro 

 vided for, and what there is of that kind has grown np in connection 

 with quite another plan, which was to illustrate fully the technology 



"^Thiswas due to the unfortunate system of printing concessions made by the 

 Exposition authorities, placing all printing privileges in the hands of a single 

 establishment. 



