12 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1887. 



Uuited States certain swords, medals, paintings, bronzes, portraits, commissions, and 

 addresses and objects of value and art presented by various Governments in the 

 world to General Ulysses S. Grant as tokens of their high appreciation of his illus- 

 trious character as a soldier and a statesman : Therefore, 



Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in 

 Congress assembled, That the United States accept, with grateful acknowledgment, 

 the said property and articles more fully described in the schedule attached to said 

 deed of trust, to be held by the United -States and preserved aud protected in the 

 city of Washington for the use and inspection of the people of the Uuited States. 



Sec. 2. That the said property and articles be placed under the custody of the Di- 

 rector of the National Museum, and he is hereby directed to receive the same for safe 

 keeping therein. 



Approved August 5, 18rib\ 



The collection was transferred to the National Museum in November, 

 1886. A complete catalogue of the objects in this collection is given in 

 the list of accessions, under No. 18528. 



During the year has been commenced the formation of a collection of 

 moneys of the world, exhibiting the metallic and paper currency in 

 use at the present time, and the moneys of the ancient world. Several 

 thousand specimens have been received by gift aud loau, and a con- 

 siderable number of them have been put on exhibition. In preparing 

 the labels an attempt has been made to show the monetary standard 

 of different nations and give the origin of each denomination. 



The principal activity in this department has been in the promotion 

 of the collection of Graphic Arts, for which provision was made in the 

 general plan of classification proposed six years ago, and materials for 

 which have since been accumulating so rapidly that it has become 

 necessary to make some provision for their installation. In December, 

 1882, Mr. S. E. Koehler, of Boston, was invited to undertake the instal- 

 lation of an exhibition collection, illustrating the method of lithography, 

 which had been presented to the National Museum by Mr. Louis Prang, 

 and the preparation of a manual in connection with the same. At that 

 time Mr. Peter Moran, of Philadelphia, was preparing for the Museum 

 a series of plates illustrating the process of etching, and a set of etcher's 

 tools. This was to form a basis for the etching collection. The Helio- 

 type Company, the Photo-Engraving Company of New York, aud sev- 

 eral other firms and individuals, had tendered their co- operation. The 

 Director of the United States Mint has offered to illustrate the art of 

 die cutting, and Kiugler & Co., of New York, have in hand the illustra- 

 tion of the process of electrotyping. 



An excellent nucleus for a collection representing the graphic arts 

 seemed to be available, but active steps towards its installation were 

 materially retarded by the preparation of exhibits for the London 

 Fisheries Exhibition in 1883, and for the New Orleans and other expo- 

 sitions in 1884. Matters did not take any definite shape until De- 

 cember 11, 1886, when Mr. Koehler was appointed acting curator of 

 the section of Graphic Arts. 



