134 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1959 
1959 
June 24. American Library Association, Art Section, Chairman, Mrs. 
Bertha Usilton, librarian, Freer Gallery of Art, held a 
meeting. A talk was given on “A New Program in the 
Documentation of Art.” Attendance, 220. 
June 30. The Smithsonion Institution, Division of Cultural History, 
presented “A Program of 15th-Century Music.” Attend- 
ance, 361. 
On October 8, 1958, the Gallery was open in the evening and docent 
service was given by Dr. James Cahill and Rutherford J. Gettens 
to a group of nine members of the Executive Committee, International 
Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry; Dr. Edward Wichers headed 
this distinguished group. 
STAFF ACTIVITIES 
The work of the staff members has been devoted to the study of new 
accessions, of objects contemplated for purchase, and of objects sub- 
mitted for examination, as well as to individual research projects 
in the fields represented by the collections of Chinese, Japanese, Per- 
sian, Arabic, and Indian materials. Reports, oral and written, and 
exclusive of those made by the technical laboratory (listed below) 
were made on 8,637 objects as follows: For private individuals, 
4,785; for dealers, 1,619; for other museums, 2,233. In all, 834 photo- 
graphs were examined, and 1,151 Oriental language inscriptions were 
translated for outside individuals and institutions. By request, 20 
groups totaling 430 persons met in the exhibition galleries for docent 
service by the staff members. 
Five groups totaling 101 persons were given docent service by staff 
members in the storage rooms. 
Among the visitors were 87 distinguished foreign scholars or per- 
sons holding official positions in their own countries who came here 
under the auspices of the State Department to study museum admin- 
istration and practices in this country. 
During the year the technical laboratory carried on the following 
activities: 
Mreer:Gallery: objectstexamined ssa. ome Eee ees 115 
Microchemicallliy p22 2s sect sai toate bn. south eee 2 Se 2 
Microscopicallysce see eee 2S ne a er 2 eee eee 36 
UW itireaivat OO) Gi ee es ER oe a ees 30 
EXEL AVA Gilera CELLONE = ie we ee eee eee Markt Ae eee ee ee 31 
Ghemical analysis 2220 Se epee epee ig es PA 
Treated! cleaned ror repaired St 2 See ees Sa ES 37 
Outside, objects examin eas he a NE ee a Se 107 
Microchemicallliy: eset s Se ak ake a ee eee ee 2 23 
Microscopically: saat see. = ETE wok cones Pea ei ee 2 ee 45 
WlbraviGletiy saat chk 8 pe ee ree RT I es ea 41 
Deray) diftractions44 sts Sess ee eee ee ee en eee 4 
Treated: cleaned: for repaired some Reta eae cn 6 
