Department of Anthropology. 
Nature and Purpose of Collections: — The aim of the 
collections in the Department of Anthropology is to represent 
the different cultures which have existed and which are in exis- 
tence at the present time. No attempt has been made to rep- 
resent the culture of modem Europe, especial attention having 
been paid to the culture of more primitive people. The collec- 
tions are installed in two well-marked groups according to two 
general divisions of anthropology. The first group relates to 
physical man, the exhibits being anatomical in nature, while the 
second group relates to man’s culture, the basis of the study of 
which is psychology. 
In the first group of exhibits are found the apparatus and 
appliances in general use in the study of physical anthropology, 
an extensive collection of crania, skeletons, casts, and other 
material illustrating the physical characteristics of types and 
races. A part of these exhibits is arranged in the gallery of the 
East Court. 
The second great group in the Department of Anthropology 
comprises extensive collections representing past and present 
cultures; hence is both archaeological and ethnological in nature. 
The ethnological collections are those illustrating the living and 
the historical peoples, and as a rule are arranged according to 
the tribe or cultural area to which they pertain. The prehis- 
toric collections are brought together in groups according to the 
locality from which they are derived, or, in certain cases, ac- 
cording to the people or time which they are thought to rep- 
resent. 
The archaeological and ethnological collections are placed on 
the main floor and occupy the entire east half of the building, 
also the North Court, the east alcoves of the South Court, the 
north alcoves of the West Court, and Halls 30, 31, and 34 in the 
northwest quarter of the building. 
An attempt has been made to represent the cultures of the 
tribes or groups in an order corresponding as far as possible 
with their original geographical relations. Owing to the 
crowded condition of the department, and through the rapidity 
