•42 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 



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 find 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, already referred to, that the 

 custodianship of the national gallery of art was vested in the Smithsonian 

 Institution. This collection is especially noteworthy in that it contains paint- 

 ings by several celebrated masters, besides other pieces of merit and of his- 

 torical 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 Smith- 

 sonian 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 com- 

 pletion 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 occupied the existing wall space. Among the 

 loans should be mentioned 21 paintings from the Lucius Tuckerman collection, 

 and among the gifts, one by the Hon. J. B. Henderson, of Washington, and 

 one by Miss Eleanor Blodgett, of New York. 



During the latter part of the winter the gallery received a most substantial 

 and gratifying recognition from Mr. William T. Evans, of Montclair, N. J., 

 the well-known connoisseur and patron of art, whose contribution, made with- 

 out solicitation, consisted of 52 paintings in oil by American artists of estab- 

 lished reputation. Unfortunately no place could be found in the Museum build- 

 ing for this valuable collection, and it was necessary to provide elsewhere 

 for its temporary keeping. This has been accomplished through the courtesy 

 of the trustees of the Corcoran Gallery of Art, where the pictures are now hung, 

 filling the greater part of the large atrium. 



Leaving out of consideration the Freer collection, which is to remain at the 

 home of its generous donor during his lifetime, the national gallery now has 

 in its possession valuable paintings and other art objects for whose exhibition 

 under suitable conditions it is important to arrange without delay. For this 

 purpose there is no better place in the existing buildings than the second story 

 of the main part of the Smithsonian building, a hall 200 feet long by 50 feet 

 wide. It will require some changes to adapt it to the hanging and lighting 

 of pictures, and some improvement in its approaches which are now incon- 

 venient for the public, involving an expenditure greater than is possible from 

 the current appropriation, but it is hoped that Congress may provide for this 

 work at its forthcoming session. 



