lery of original artworks for the magazine's covers. The exhibi- 

 tion and tour of fout venues (including two presidential 

 libraries) were sponsored by Canon U.S.A., Inc. The catalog 

 was published by Bulfinch Press/Liccle, Brown & Company in 

 association with the Gallery. Other exhibitions included 

 "Making a Time Cover" and "Andy Warhol FLASH — November 

 22, 1963." Work is under way on 11 other exhibitions opening 

 through 1999, and plans for touring exhibitions from the 

 Gallery's permanent collection during the time the museum 

 will be closed for renovation. 



Approximately 300 acquisitions were added to the collec- 

 tions. Among them two drawings of Lincoln Kirsten by Jamie 

 Wyeth, a pastel drawing of James Baldwin by Beauford 

 Delaney, two watercolor sketches of Josephine Baker by Paul 

 Colin, and a drawing of Ben Shahn by Alexander Calder. Two 

 major bequests received were David Rittenhouse by Charles 

 Willson Peale, and Daniel Webster by Francis Alexander. 

 Other acquisition highlights included portraits of Edward Albee 

 by Menden Hall, George Inness by G.P.A. Healy, Michael 

 DeBakey by Peter E. Shapiro, a platinum print (ca. 1919) of 

 Robert Frost by Doris Ulman, a color carbro photograph 

 (1933) of Franklin Roosevelt's Second Inaugural Address by 

 Harry Warnecke, and a series of seven photographs of 

 American composers made in 1950 by Naomi Savage. Conser- 

 vation of 14 sculptures in the collection was made possible by 

 a generous grant from the Smithsonian Women's Committee. 



A rwo-day symposium, "Caricature and Cartoon in Twen- 

 tieth-Century America," was sponsored with the Library of 

 Congress. The symposium "Portraiture in the Age of Photog- 

 raphy," was organized with the Victorian Society in America. 

 The Selected Papers of Charles Willson Peale and His Family. 

 Volume y The Autobiography of Charles Willson Peale, was sub- 

 mitted to Yale University Press, which received a publication 

 subvention from the National Historical Publication and 

 Records Commission of the National Archives. 



The newly named Center for Electronic Research and Out- 

 reach Services continued to bring the Gallery's collections, 

 programs, and exhibitions to the public via its award-winning 

 Web site (which received approximately 100,000 hits this 

 past year). The new Collections Information System developed 

 by Gallery Systems, Inc., and a joint initiative by six Smith- 

 sonian museums, was successfully installed. The Catalog of 

 American Portrait's research records are included in the new 

 CIS database as well as the Web site's collections search. More 

 than 25,000 responses were made to researchers' queries this 

 year. 



Programs in conjunction with current exhibitions included 

 one-man shows on Robert Benchley, H.L. Mencken, and 

 Mathew Brady and demonstrations of 19th-century photo- 

 graphic processes. John S.D. Eisenhower's discussion of Agent 

 of Destiny: the Life and Times of Winfteld Scot! was among the 

 many lunchtime lectures and book presentations. The July 

 series of Beatles tribute bands in the courtyard was sponsored 

 by Time magazine. Canon U.S.A. Inc., and the Henley Park 

 Hotel. 



National Postal Museum 



James Brum, Director 



The National Postal Museum, through its collections and 

 library, is dedicated to the preservation, study and presenta- 

 tion of postal history and philately. The museum uses re- 

 search, exhibits, education, and public programs to make this 

 rich history available to a wide and diverse audience. 



Remembering the Promise 



Inscribed on the front of the National Postal Museum build- 

 ing is a message that aptly describes the mission and promise 

 of this nation's mail service. The inscription reads in part: 



Messenger of Sympathy and love 

 Servant of Parted friends 

 Consoler of the lonely 

 Bond of the scattered family 

 Enlarger of the common life 

 Carrier of news and knowledge 

 Promoter of mutual acquaintance 

 Of peace and goodwill 

 Among men and nations 



The exhibits, programs, activities, and publications of the 

 National Postal Museum are devoted to remembering that 

 promise to the American people. 



Exhibitions 



In 1998 the museum opened several new exhibits that 

 demonstrate the importance of that promise, including a dis- 

 play that celebrated the centennial of the Klondike/ Alaska 

 Gold Rush and highlighted the importance of mail to those 

 who went in search of opportunity and adventure in the gold 

 fields a century ago by creating an exhibit that focused on the 

 role played by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service in safeguard- 

 ing America's mail. 



The National Postal Museum also furnished an exhibit en- 

 titled "Reinventing Government: The Transformation of the 

 United States Postal Service" to the Spellman Philatelic 

 Museum in Weston, Massachusetts, that celebrated the 25th 

 anniversary of the creation of the U.S. Postal Service. 



In honor of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's 116th birthday, the 

 museum dedicated a new exhibition, entitled "Mail to the 

 Chief. The Stamp Designs of Franklin D. Roosevelt." This 

 exhibit was guest curated by Congressman Joseph Pitts of 

 Pennsylvania. This exhibit included the President's persona] 

 sketches for postage stamps that were issued during his 

 administration. 



In cooperation with Pitney Bowes Inc., the museum assisted 

 in creating "African Americans and their Contributions to 

 Messaging," an exhibit that opened in Stamford, Connecticut, 

 at the corporate headquarters of Pitney Bowes. This exhibit 



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