14 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, lfl(V7. 



direction. In the National Museum, however, certain branches of art 

 have been fostered for over a quarter of a century and are now fairly 

 well represented. 



The first collection purchased by the Institution was the valuable 

 series of prints assembled by the Hon. George P. Marsh, containing 

 examples of the work of nearly every etcher and engraver of celeb- 

 rity from the early masters to the middle of the last century. 

 Though not the largest, it was recognized as the choicest collection of 

 its kind then in this country. Later accessions included, besides en- 

 gravings, a number of paintings, reproductions of celebrated pieces 

 of sculpture, busts of distinguished individuals, and many important 

 books on art. 



The early exhibition in the upper Smithsonian hall consisted 

 mainly of the unique collections of Indian portraits and scenes by 

 J. M. Stanley, C. B. King, and others, but in the fire of 1865 this 

 section of the gallery with its contents was entirely destroyed. The 

 objects on the lower floor escaped injury and were subsequently 

 deposited for safe-keeping in the Library of Congress and the 

 Corcoran Gallery of Art, where they remained until about ten years 

 ago. Since that time one of the rooms in the eastern part of the 

 Smithsonian building has been utilized for the prints, books, and 

 various other works of art, but the larger part of the collection has 

 been provided for in the National Museum. 



Such, briefly, was the history of the art exhibits up to January, 

 1906, when the acceptance by the Board of Regents of the large and 

 notable collection of Mr. Charles L. Freer marked the beginning of 

 a new epoch in the affairs of the gallery of art. In the following 

 July a further advance was made through the acquisition of the 

 valuable collection of the late Harriet Lane Johnston, based upon a 

 decision of the supreme court of the District of Columbia, essentially 

 reaffirming the intent of the fundamental act, that the custodianship 

 of the National Gallery of Art was vested in the Smithsonian Insti- 

 tution. This collection is especially noteworthy in that it contains 

 paintings by several celebrated masters, besides other pieces of merit 

 and of historical importance. It was delivered to the Institution in 

 the early part of August, 1906, and was at once installed in the. 

 reception room in the Smithsonian building, the only place then 

 available. 



The necessity of securing more extensive quarters without delay 

 led to the selection and temporary fitting up of the lecture hall in 

 the Museum building for the purposes of the gallery and especially 

 for the paintings. On the completion of these changes in the latter 

 part of November, 1906, the Harriet Lane Johnston collection and 

 other paintings were transferred there, and these, with several loans 

 and donations, fully occupy the existing wall space. Among the 



