26 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1945 



In textiles, an outstanding accession was a historic document com- 

 prising the original indenture of Samuel Slater, dated January 8, 

 1783, which he brought with him from England when at the age of 20 

 he decided to try his fortune in America. Wartime textiles and 

 those inspired by the war were represented in many gifts. To the 

 collections of early homecraft textiles there were added by gifts and 

 loans a number of noteworthy specimens of weaving, needlework, and 

 supplementary items. 



A gift of historic importance to the section of chemical industries 

 was a series of specimens of lewisite, American mustard gas, or "blister 

 gas," and derivatives therefrom, all prepared for exhibition. Impor- 

 tant additions to the wood collection were 20 samples from the Russell 

 Islands group of the Solomons, 12 from Brazil, and 63 from the Philip- 

 pines. In the division of medicine the outstanding accession was the 

 entire equipment and furnishings of an Old World apothecary shop 

 of the period of 1750. This large collection, consisting of nearly 

 1,200 specimens, was gathered in Europe over a period of 40 years 

 and is unique in completeness of original materials and in its variety. 



Chief among the accessions in graphic arts was the unique gift of 

 Charles W. Dahlgreen of 76 copper plates of his original work in 

 etching, aquatint, and drypoint. These plates, many of which are 

 in almost unused condition, were deposited with the division with the 

 understanding that they are to be used to make prints, to be sold as a 

 "Smithsonian Edition," the proceeds to compose the Charles W. Dahl- 

 green fund, which will be used to enlarge and improve the collections 

 of graphic arts. The section of photography, among other valuable 

 gifts, received a collection of rare old lenses of French, English, Ger- 

 man, and American manufacture, and also the first portable motion- 

 picture projector designed, patented, and made in 1912 by Dr. H. A. 

 DeVry, often referred to as "the father of visual education." 



History. — Perhaps the most outstanding addition to the historical 

 collections was the gift of a series of 48 bronze statuettes of notable 

 contemporary American public men, made from life by the distin- 

 guished sculptor Max Kalish. The series is entitled "The Living 

 Hall of Washington, 1944" and is on exhibition in the costumes hall 

 in the Arts and Industries Building. Valuable additions to the cos- 

 tumes collections included two gowns worn by Mrs. Herbert Hoover 

 in the White House, two inaugural gowns worn by Mrs. Franklin D. 

 Roosevelt, and a cape worn by the Honorable Hamilton Fish in the 

 early nineteenth century. There was placed on special exhibition 

 in the Natural History Building a doll dressed in the costume of 

 Brittany which was presented to Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower by the 

 children of Normandy in gratitude for their liberation from the Nazis. 

 Accessions to the military collections included an office desk and chair 



