40 ANNUAL, KEPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1920. 



FREER COLLECTIONS. 



The death of Mr. Freer this year is a great loss to the art interests 

 of the country. In presenting his collections of American and oriental 

 art to the Smithsonian Institution in 1906, Mr. Freer stipulated that 

 they should remain in his possession during his life, and at that time 

 he provided in his will $500,000 for the erection by the Smithsonian 

 Institution of a suitable building for housing them, near the National 

 Museum. He reserved the right to add to the collections, and in the 

 intervening years he has about tripled the number of objects origi- 

 nally transferred by title to the Institution. Increasing the building 

 fund to $1,000,000 and waiving the original conditions, Mr. Freer in 

 1915 decided upon the early erection of the structure and the transfer 

 of the collections to Washington. The building, now nearing com- 

 pletion, was accordingly begun in the autumn of 1916. That Mr. 

 Freer was not permitted to see the consummation of his plans for 

 the development of the art interests of the country is greatly deplored. 

 His experience and advice would be invaluable in inaugurating this 

 independent unit of the National Gallery of Art which he so gener- 

 ously provided. The building and collections represent an outlay of 

 some six or seven million dollars and constitute one of the most im- 

 portant and valued donations tvhich any individual has ever made 

 freely and unconditionally to the Nation. 



During the year the building for the Freer collections was brought 

 nearly to completion, despite delays now characteristic of the build- 

 ing business. The central court was carefully laid out with walks, 

 gardens, and fountain. Arrangements were made with the officer in 

 charge of public buildings and grounds for laying out the driveways 

 to the building and otherAvise improving the grounds immediately 

 surrounding it. 



The Peacock room, that celebrated decoration executed by Whistler 

 as a setting for his painting La Princesse, was transferred from the 

 residence of Mr. Freer in Detroit and set up complete in a room 

 specially designed for its reception at the southeastern corner of the 

 building. By the close of the year, the executors of Mr. Freer's estate 

 had commenced to ship to Washington other portions of the Freer 

 collections, which will be stored in the various storage quarters in the 

 building until the structure is entirely completed and the installation 

 of the collections can be undertaken. 



THE LOEB BEQUEST. 



Prof. Morris Loeb, the eminent chemist, who died on October 8, 

 1912, left a bequest of $25,000 to the American Chemical Society, to 

 be held as a special fund, the income of which should be used for the 

 establishment or maintenance of a chemical type museum, either in 



