36 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1920. 



A number of paintings, very generously lent to the Gallery dur- 

 ing this and previous years, were withdrawn. The list is as follows: 

 A painting, " In the Grand Canyon of the Colorado " by Thomas 

 Moran, returned to Mrs. J. W. Powell; a painting, "A Kooky Moun- 

 tain Solitude" by Thomas Moran, returned to the artist; portrait 

 of Maj. Gen. John P. Van Xess, returned to Maj. J. Van Ness Philip; 

 portraits of Maj. E. Alexander Powell and Miss Clara J. Gordon, 

 by Wilford S. Conrow, returned to the artist; a painting, "Autumn" 

 by Thomas Cole, returned to Mrs. C. V. Purdy; four paintings: 

 " Interior " attributed to Adrian von Ostade, " Interior " by L. 

 Fissette, picture of dogs by Z. Noterman, and portrait of Rembrandt, 

 attributed to himself, returned to Mr. Benson B. Moore; two oil 

 paintings, "Portrait of Lamartine " and "Washington at Valley 

 Forge," returned to Mrs. Adelaide Powell ; 12 oil paintings from 

 the colleotion by leading contemporary French and British artists, 

 lent by the American Federation of Arts through Miss Leila Mechlin, 

 secretary, returned to the Federation; 21 paintings, 2 bronzes and 2 

 casts in plaster by Edward Kemeys and other artists, returned to 

 Mrs. Laura Swing Kemeys; a painting, copy of Murillo's " Beggars," 

 returned to Mrs. Henry Wells ; water color, " Khone Valley " by 

 John M. W. Turner, returned to Miss Elizabeth Ogden Adams; a 

 painting, "A Farnese Investiture," returned to Mrs. Estelle Bake- 

 well-Green; a portrait of Mrs. Henrietta Auchmuty by Gilbert 

 Stuart, returned to Mrs. L. M. Chapman. 



Among the numerous changes made in the installation of art works 

 may be mentioned the removal of a large painting, " The Battleship 

 Oregon," from the south room of the main hall to one of the rooms 

 devoted to works relating to the World War. This fine work was 

 loaned to the gallery February 7, 1917, by the artist, William F. 

 Halsall, of Provincetown, Massachusetts, whose death occurred No- 

 vember 10, 1919. The gallery is deeply indebted to Mi-. Halsall for 

 the gift in 1916 of a superb painting " The Song of the Sea " now in 

 its place on the gallery walls. Removal of the battleship painting 

 from the gallery made it possible to restore to the gallery the very 

 large triptych, a fire etching by James William Fosdick, entitled 

 "Adoration of Saint Joan of Arc," belonging to the Evans collection. 

 Frequent changes and readjustments in installation of works were 

 made. Labels were added where needed and the glass of most of the 

 paintings was removed and cleaned. Much time was spent by the 

 curator in identifying the very large collection of plaster busts 

 of prominent personages, mostly of past generations. Owing to the 

 failure of the sculptor or of the custodian of casts in the early days 

 to mark the busts a number cannot now be identified. It should be 

 stated, however, that many of these busts are of persons prominent in 

 history, literature, or science and are not as a whole of a degree of 



