Information

For Users and Benefactors

Smithsonian Institution Libraries

Number 93

Summer/Fall 2005

Biographer’s Query Leads to Smithson Treasure

page 3

Presidential Historian Michael Beschloss, page 6
Smithsonian Institution Libraries Information Summer/Fall 2005

from the director

This issue of Information is a departure from the past. 

Elizabeth Periale, Assistant to the Director and chief designer 

of our in-house publications, has developed a fresh new look. 

Along with it, Editor Robert Kearns has collected several beguiling stories that derive from our collecting activities. Intern 

Kevin Burns researched and wrote the background for our 

acquisition of a letter written by James Smithson, our benefactor, in 1792, just three years after the French Revolution. 

It was an exciting moment, one not likely to be repeated any 

time soon. Elsewhere in this issue you’ll read about Libraries’ 

Resident Scholars for 2005 and their diverse research topics, all 

of which require the use of our rare and special 

collections. That we attract such a varied and 

top-notch group of scholars is to the credit of 

Smithsonian staff past and present who acquired such marvelous and enduring volumes. 

And who would have guessed that the National 

Postal Museum Library would reveal artifacts 

relevant to the history of the Ponzi scheme, 

or that the Culinary Historians of Washington 

would choose the Smithsonian Libraries as 

the appropriate repository for their extensive 

library? The Libraries’ collections mirror the 

eclectic range of Smithsonian interests. I’ve been here over 

twenty years, and I continue to be amazed by what is in our 

custody to preserve and share with the nation.

Elsewhere in this issue you’ll read about some marvelous 

events enjoyed by members of our Spencer Baird Society, 

supporters and friends. Baird Society members enjoy fascinating programs on a myriad of topics. Come join us! You won’t 

regret it. Nancy E. Gwinn

2

Become part of the Libraries’ family. Join 

the Spencer Baird Society! For information, 

call Gwen Leighty (202.633.2875) or Nedra 

Lee (202.633.3054.)

Marcia Adams

Marcia Adams has been named assistant director, Technical Services. 

She is responsible for the Acquisitions 

Services, Cataloging Services and Interlibrary Loan Services departments 

and will oversee the continuing reengineering of the Libraries’ business 

processes. Adams chairs the Libraries’ Data Standards Committee and 

co-chairs the Smithsonian Institution 

Research Information System Market 

Survey Task Force that investigates 

capabilities of library systems as a 

precursor to procurement of a new 

system.

Adams joined the Smithsonian Libraries as assistant systems administrator in 1987, becoming head of the 

systems offi ce in 1998. She served 

as interim acting assistant director of 

Technical Services from September 

2004 until her appointment.

Previously, Adams worked as 

a systems librarian at the University of Maryland Library in College 

Park and as a public services librarian at Morrisson-Reeves Public Library in Richmond, Indiana, for ten 

years. She received her master’s 

degree from Indiana University in 

1972 and her bachelor’s degree from 

Purdue University in 1969, where 

she began her career with a variety 

of positions in reference, cataloging 

and circulation. 

Marcia Adams, 

Assistant Director, 

Technical Services 

Photography credits: Cover - M. Beschloss by J. DiLoreto; Page 2 - M. Adams 

by J. DiLoreto; Page 3 - N. Gwinn, L. Small by R. Kearns; Page 4 - J. Carey, D. 

Campos, T. Lanuza-Navarro, I. Stewart, A. Smets, L. Cormack by R. Brashear; 

Page 6 - R. Brashear, et al by H. Talman; Carmichael Auditorium crowd, J. 

DiLoreto; Page 7 - Natural History Museum Rotunda, W. Davis by J. DiLoreto; 

Page 8 - E. Gilligan by A. Kinkel; R. Naples, E. Gilligan by A. Elbow; Page 10

- S. Van Dyk, J. Bailey, S. Henderson by N. Gwinn; Page 11- M. Murray, P. McCutcheon by K. Burns.
Smithsonian Institution Libraries Information Summer/Fall 2005 3

A passing question from author Heather Ewing set the ball in 

motion for the Smithsonian to acquire a letter scribed in James 

Smithson’s own hand and sent from Paris in 1792 to his classmate 

at Oxford, Davies Gilbert. Ewing had just finished researching 

Smithson at the Dibner Library for an upcoming biography when 

she asked Ronald Brashear, Head of Special Collections and 

Curator of Physical Sciences Rare Books, if he had heard about 

the sale of the Smithson letter. He said no, but while reviewing 

his mail that day he saw a catalogue for Bonham’s of London. 

Checking the index he found the Smithson letter as lot 186, and 

later noticed a generic letter from Bonham’s to which they added 

in hand: “Please note lot 186....”

Brashear’s hope of acquiring this great find was soon diminished when he saw the cost estimate. If he wanted the Libraries 

to obtain this incredible piece of Smithsonian history, he would 

have to get approval to spend £20,000-25,000 ($36-45,000 USD). 

Time was of the essence. This was Friday, and the auction was the 

following Tuesday. He sent an email to Libraries Director Nancy 

Gwinn, asking if she knew someone who might want to help purchase the letter for the Libraries.

Gwinn took immediate action. On Monday she told Brashear 

that Smithsonian Secretary Lawrence Small definitely was interested in the letter, and she was in the process of seeking 

Institutional funds. Brashear then suggested that $70,000 be set 

aside, which would allow up to a $50,000 bid and all the fees 

involved. William Patrick Watson, a high-end antiquarian book 

dealer in London, agreed to act as the Libraries’ agent. When 

Gwinn received permission to spend up to $70,000, Brashear 

notified Watson. The next morning he called Brashear with good 

news: the Libraries had acquired the letter for the reserve price, 

roughly $43,000.

The Smithsonian had known about the letter since 1884, 

when Gilbert’s grandson, John D. Enys wrote to Smithsonian 

Secretary Spencer F. Baird. Enys sent a copy along with notes 

from Gilbert’s notebook with information concerning Smithson 

and his family. The letter was published in the Smithsonian’s 1884 

Annual Report.

Smithson was born James Lewis Macie, the illegitimate child of 

Hugh Smithson, who became the first Duke of Northumberland, 

and Elizabeth Keate Hungerford Macie, a widow of royal blood. 

Researchers speculate that he endowed his estate to the United 

States in reaction to opportunities denied him in Britain because 

of his illegitimacy. In one of his writings he states, “On my 

father’s side I am a Northumberland, on my mother’s side I am 

related to kings, but this avails me not.”

Libraries Director Nancy E. Gwinn and 

Smithsonian Secretary Lawrence Small 

examine the Smithson letter.

continued

Biographer’s Query Leads to 

Smithson Treasure
Smithsonian Institution Libraries Information Summer/Fall 2005

The letter suggests a different motive 

for leaving the estate to the United States, 

which Smithson had never visited. Having 

seen the early results of the French revolution, Smithson writes that he 

favors democracy over the rule 

of kings. (Secretary Samuel P. 

Langley reported this letter as 

“confirmation” of the notion 

that Smithson was friendlier to 

republics and opposed to monarchies.) This ultimately led to the idea 

that Smithson left his estate to the United 

States because of its populist government 

structure.

Smithson’s letter to Gilbert is not the 

only remaining artifact of the gentlemanscientist in the Institution’s collections. 

When diplomat Richard Rush returned 

from England after seeing the Smithson 

estate through probate, on shipboard with 

him were eleven boxes filled with English 

gold sovereigns, as well as Smithson’s 

213-volume library, mineral collection, 

scientific notes, and personal effects. 

Smithson’s belongings were housed in the 

original Smithsonian Building, now known 

as the “Castle.” In 1865, a disastrous fire 

destroyed most of the Smithson collection, 

except for the library, which is now housed 

in the Joseph F. Cullman 3rd Library of 

Natural History, one of the twenty branches of the Smithsonian Institution Libraries’ 

network. Thanks to a great deal of work 

and a little bit of luck, the Smithsonian 

Libraries successfully acquired a one-of-akind artifact, which adds to the fabulously 

rich history of the Institution. With the letter now in Smithsonian custody, future generations of researchers will be able to study 

it along with all the other treasures housed 

at the Smithsonian. By Kevin Burns, Intern, 

SIL Public Affairs Office 

James Smithson

4

Clockwise from top left: Baird Society Resident Scholar 

Jane Carey; Dibner Library Resident Scholars Daniel 

G. Campos, Tayra Lanuza-Navarro, Ian G. Stewart, An 

Smets, and Lesley Cormack.

m
Smithsonian Institution Libraries Information Summer/Fall 2005

2005 resident scholars

Baird Society Resident Scholars Use 

SIL’s World Fairs Collection

Dr. Jane Carey is Associate Lecturer in Gender 

Studies at Victoria University and Research Officer 

in the Australian Women’s Archives Project of the 

University of Melbourne. In her research project, 

“Promoting Whiteness: Visions of Western Femininity 

at the World’s Fairs, 1876-1940,” Dr. Carey plans to 

investigate broadly across a greater part of the western 

world.

Dr. Martina Droth is a Research Coordinator at 

the Henry Moore Institute, a center for the study of 

sculpture in the United Kingdom. Her research project is “Sculpture and Its Material Contexts: Reading 

the Representation of British Sculpture from 1851 to 

1900.” Dr. Droth has looked at the Great Exhibition of 

1851 and she extended her research to the fairs of 1862 

London, 1878 Paris, 1893 Chicago, and 1900 Paris. 

Ms. Reiko Hillyer, a Ph.D. candidate in American 

History at Columbia University, explored “Designing 

Dixie: Landscape, Tourism, and Memory in the New 

South, 1870-1930.” She focused on the Cotton States 

and International Exposition in Atlanta in 1895.

Ms. Allison Marsh is a Ph.D. candidate in the 

Department of the History of Science and Technology 

of the Johns Hopkins University. Her research project 

is “Greetings from the 

Shop Floor: The Rise 

of Industrial Tourism.” 

She used World’s 

Fairs materials and 

the Libraries’ Trade 

Literature Collection 

to compare the business-to-business claims 

of product performance 

with the claims made to 

the general audiences 

of factory tours or at 

the Fairs.

Dibner Library Resident Scholars Study 

the History of Science

Mr. Daniel G. Campos, a Ph.D. candidate in 

the Department of Philosophy of Pennsylvania State 

University, studied “The Development of Mathematical 

Probability Theory, 1713-1812.” Mr. Campos examined what he calls the “consolidation” period of probability theory. 

Dr. Lesley Cormack, Professor and Chair of the 

Department of History and Classics of the University 

of Alberta, Canada, studied “The Molyneux Globes: 

Instruments, Mathematical Practitioners, and the 

Scientific Revolution.” She investigated the complex 

interconnections between mathematicians, geographers, and globe and instrument-makers, particularly 

in London. 

Ms. Tayra Lanuza-Navarro is a Ph.D. candidate at the Institute of the History of Science and 

Documentation “López Piñero” of the Faculty of 

Medicine of the University of Valencia, Spain. In 

researching “Astrology and Religion in 17th-Century 

Spain” she concentrated on works of ancient, medieval, and modern authors that were often cited by 

Spanish astrologers in the ongoing polemic between 

astrology and religious writers. 

Dr. An Smets is a Scientific Collaborator in the Unit 

of Medieval History in the Faculty of Philosophy and 

Letters at the Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium. 

For her research project “The Liber Aggregationis : 

A Case Study of Translation of Medieval Scientific 

Treatises,” she concentrated on the Dibner Library’s 

manuscript of an Italian translation of Liber aggregations for use in a critical edition. 

Dr. Ian G. Stewart is a Senior Fellow in the 

Foundation Year Program and Adjunct Faculty in the 

History of Science and Technology Program of the 

University of King’s College in Halifax, Nova Scotia, 

Canada. His research project is “William Gilbert’s 

‘New Philosophy Concerning Our Sublunary World’ 

(1651): A Critical Edition and Translation.”

5

Hubert Howe Bancroft. 

The Book of the Fair, 

1893. 
Smithsonian Institution Libraries Information Summer/Fall 2005

More than 300 guests filled the Carmichael 

Auditorium at the Museum of American History, 

Behring Center on the evening of February 4 to see and 

hear noted presidential historian Michael Beschloss. 

Featured at the Price of Freedom: Americans at 

War benefit co-hosted by the Museum and SIL, Mr. 

Beschloss spoke on the topic of “What History Can 

Tell Us About Our Own Time.” A color guard from 

the George Mason University Army Reserve Officer 

Training Corps presented the national colors as “The 

Star-Spangled Banner” was stirringly performed by 

soloist Kevin Bennear from the President’s Own 

United States Marine Band. 

Prominent notables in attendance included U.S. 

Senator John Warner, Chairman of the Senate Armed 

Services Committee, accompanied by his wife 

Geannie and Russell Train, former Administrator of 

the Environmental Protection Agency and Chairman 

of The World Wildlife Fund, accompanied by his wife 

Aileen.

During a presentation punctuated frequently by 

audience laughter, Beschloss brought tales from the 

presidency, particularly that of Lyndon B. Johnson, 

vividly to life. He repeatedly emphasized the importance of libraries and their positive and vital impact on 

his own career as a presidential biographer and political commentator. His often humorous stories, gleaned 

while spending countless hours in libraries researching 

his subjects, were in dramatic counterpoint to his parting comments about the artifacts and printed records 

from 9/11 kept at American History Museum and its 

Library, “That gives you an idea of what artifacts in 

context with the help of a great history museum and a 

great library can do.”

After the Beschloss talk, live period music and a 

dazzling menu of popular foodstuffs from various 

wartime eras delighted the crowd. During the evening, 

American History Museum docents led guests on tours 

of the Price of Freedom exhibition and Libraries staff 

displayed superb examples of period works drawn 

from SIL collections. 

A number of Libraries and Museum staff volunteered 

to help create an enjoyable and successful fundraising 

effort. According to Libraries Director Nancy Gwinn, 

the event grossed over $95,000 and the balance after 

expenses will establish an endowment for the American 

History Library. Said Gwinn, “I would like to express 

my heartfelt thanks and congratulations to all involved 

in a massive undertaking and wonderful outcome. We 

will certainly use that evening’s success as a model for 

the future and look forward to collaborating with other 

Smithsonian units to raise much-needed funds for our 

other branches.” 

6

Left to right: Librarian Ron Brashear conducts a tour of some rare items from the Dibner Library 

collection; the crowd enjoys the lecture by Michael Beschloss.

Presidential Historian Michael Beschloss Speaks at Price of Freedom Benefit

outreach

“That gives you an idea of what artifacts 

in context with the help of a great history 

museum and a great library can do.”
Smithsonian Institution Libraries Information Summer/Fall 2005

The Spencer Baird Society Benefactors dinner is 

co-hosted annually by the Libraries and a Smithsonian 

Institution museum or research center, in recognition of Baird Society members and friends who have 

provided significant philanthropic support. This year, 

the Libraries collaborated with the National Museum 

of Natural History on the evening of Wednesday, 

April 27, 2005 for a highly successful event underwritten by loyal Libraries’ supporters, Cambridge 

Scientific Abstracts, Apex CoVantage and the Heidtke 

Foundation, Inc. More than 125 guests attended the 

black-tie affair, which featured National Geographic 

Explorer-in-Residence Wade Davis as the guest speaker and a five-course meal with Caribbean and Latin 

American cuisines.

Before the lecture, guests viewed the newest addition to the Joseph F. Cullman 3rd Library of Natural 

History, a book measuring five feet by seven feet and 

weighing 133 pounds. Donated by Ted and Barbara 

Janulis, Bhutan: A Visual Odyssey Across the Last 

Himalayan Kingdom is identified by the Guinness 

Book of World Records as the largest book ever published (see article, page 8.)

Smithsonian Libraries’ Board Chair Rosemary 

Ripley introduced Wade Davis with a quote by anthropologist Margaret Mead, “Never doubt that a small 

group of thoughtful and committed citizens can change 

the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

In step with these words, Wade Davis electrified 

the audience with his thought-provoking presentation, 

“Light at the Edge of the World: A Journey Through 

the Realm of Vanishing Cultures.” The author of 

more than ten books, including The Serpent and the 

Rainbow, Davis’ lecture recalled his extensive travels 

to such far away places as East Africa, Borneo, Tibet, 

the Arctic and Haiti. Davis used a series of more than 

100 of his own stunning photographs to share colorful 

sights that he personally observed around the world.

Expeditions that Davis organized or joined were 

spurred by his interest in the use of plants in various 

cultural settings and great thirst for knowledge and 

adventure. Davis wowed guests with his descriptions 

of the practices of several of the South American 

groups he lived among during his expeditions to the 

region to study the coca plant and its effects on the 

native societies. He also fascinated those in attendance with a discussion of his seminal work in Haiti 

that investigated the folk preparations used in the 

practice of voodoo. By Nedra Lee, SIL Development 

Office Streaming video of the Wade Davis lecture is 

available for viewing at: http://smithsonian.tv/programs/sil 

7

Left to right: Guests dine in the rotunda of the Museum of Natural History; Speaker Wade Davis.

Wade Davis Issues Challenge at 6th Annual Spencer Baird Society Dinner

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful 

and committed citizens can change the world; 

indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
8 Smithsonian Institution Libraries Information Summer/Fall 2005

The world’s largest published book, 

according to Guinness World Records, 

recently was donated to the Smithsonian 

Institution Libraries by Mr. and Mrs. 

Theodore P. Janulis of New York. 

Measuring a full 5 feet by 7 feet when 

open and weighing 133 pounds, Bhutan: A 

Visual Odyssey Across the Last Himalayan 

Kingdom, by Michael Hawley, is a visually stunning photography book, capturing 

more than 100 images of the small Asian 

country’s rich landscape and culture. “It’s 

an exciting donation to our collection that 

we hope will draw people into 

a fascination with books and 

libraries,” said Mary Augusta 

Thomas, associate director of 

the Smithsonian Libraries.

Bhutan is the product of 

four expeditionary trips that 

Hawley, of the Massachusetts 

Institute of Technology media 

lab, took with his students.

Bhutan pushed current digital 

photography, printing and binding technologies to their limits. Each copy requires a 

gallon of ink, 24 hours of printing time and 

more paper than the length of a football 

field. Each digital image was two gigabytes in size, stretching the capabilities of 

most computers and printers. The binding 

was done by the world’s oldest book publisher, Acme Bookbinding, and utilizes an 

Asian fan-folded structure combined with 

European techniques. 

A limited edition of 500 copies of the 

book is being published and sold exclusively through Amazon.com. Proceeds go 

to the educational nonprofit organization 

Friendly Planet and will benefit Bhutanese 

schools, scholars and educational programs. SIL hopes to make the book available to the public in future exhibitions, 

including the 2008 Folklife Festival which 

features Bhutan. By Annie Kinkel, Intern, 

SIL Public Affairs Office 

SIL Receives World’s 

Largest Book

Inset, right: Detail from "Bhutan: A Visual 

Odyssey Across the Last Himalayan Kingdom." 

Above: SIL rare book conservator Eliza Gilligan 

prepares the book for display at the 6th 

Annual Spencer Baird Society Dinner. Below: 

Preservation technician Richard Naples and 

Gilligan ready the book for display at the World 

Foundation for Environment and Development 

(WFED) event to celebrate the first Walter 

Cronkite Stewardship award, which was given to 

internationally renowned cellist Yo Yo Ma.
Smithsonian Institution Libraries Information Summer/Fall 2005

There is no escaping the fact Americans are obsessed with food. How else can you explain the 24 hours a 

day, seven days a week Food Network? Certainly, it was no surprise the Smithsonian Institution Libraries was 

excited to receive from the Culinary Historians of Washington (CHoW) 333 volumes pertaining to the culinary 

arts. The National Museum of American History, Behring Center, houses an exhibit featuring Julia Child, and 

there is an eating utensils exhibit planned for the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum. The books donated 

by CHoW make a sumptuous complement to the existing rich resources of culinary history at the Smithsonian 

Institution. Rayna Green, Acting Chair, Division of Cultural 

History at the Smithsonian Institution, stated, “We are very 

pleased that the American History Library is now the new home 

for this extensive array of books that showcase one of America’s 

favorite things: food, glorious food!”

The history of culinary arts is not only about what people 

are eating and recipes for particular dishes. Family traditions at 

mealtime, the progression of utensils and appliances used, and 

the process of making food during a time modern appliances 

didn’t exist are essential to the fabric of this textured history 

and are the very roots of the culinary arts found in the collection. From colonial fireplace cooking, to the influence other 

cultures have on what and how Americans cook today, this collection provides a great source for researchers, as well as those 

just looking for an interesting recipe. Some of the books will 

be featured soon in an online exhibition on the SIL Galaxy of 

Knowledge website. 

“We are very pleased that the American History Library 

is now the new home for this extensive array of books 

that showcase one of America’s favorite things: food, 

glorious food!”

9

Smithsonian Libraries Really Cooking Now

Pueblo Baked Fish

2 fresh pasilla chilies

4 rainbow trout, cleaned

4 garlic cloves

2 teaspoons dried oregano

Juice of 2 limes

1⁄2 cup slivered almonds 

Salt and ground black pepper

Roast chilies in dry frying pan 

until skins are blistered. Put in 

plastic bag. Set aside 20 min. 

Rub salt into cavities of trout. 

Rinse under cold water. Pat dry 

with paper towel. Remove chilies from bag and remove skins, 

stems and seeds. Grind into 

paste. Place chili paste in shallow dish then add sliced garlic, 

oregano, 2 tsp. salt, lime juice 

and pepper to taste. Place trout 

in mixture and coat. Let sit 30 

min. turning halfway though. 

Put each trout in separate 

pouch made of waxed paper 

inside aluminum foil, sprinkle 

almonds on each and place in 

preheated 400° F oven. Bake 25 

min. Serve.

Recipe and photo by permission of 

Anness Publishing Limited, London. 

From Mexican Healthy Ways with 

a Favorite Cuisine by Jane Milton 

(London: Hermes House, 2001)

Pueblo Baked Fish Photograph: Simon Smith
Smithsonian Institution Libraries Information Summer/Fall 2005

Judith M. Moore of Washington, D.C. is an independent 

photographic historian who has worked at the Smithsonian 

American Art Museum as a guest exhibition curator, volunteer, and library researcher. She is a former Board member of 

the Indianapolis Symphony and the Indianapolis Museum of 

Art and serves as Choir Librarian for the Washington National 

Cathedral. She holds a B.A. in Organ and Music Education 

from Lincoln University and a M.A.H. in Art History from 

Manhattanville College.

Mrs. Moore is vitally interested in libraries, particularly the 

Smithsonian’s art libraries. Her husband Charles Moore is a 

member of the Smithsonian American Art Commission and the 

Smithsonian National Board.

“As someone who has used the Smithsonian American Art Museum 

and National Portrait Gallery Library, as well as the Dibner Library of the 

History of Science and Technology during my curatorial research, I have an 

enormous respect for the collections and staff expertise at the Smithsonian 

Libraries,” said Moore. “I joined the Board to help raise awareness of this 

wonderful resource both inside and outside the Smithsonian.” 

George Gwynn Hill was born in Washington, D.C. and 

his family has resided in Georgetown since before 1790. He 

is Vice President, stockbroker and registered options principal 

for Folger Nolan Fleming Douglas, Inc. He is an advisor to 

clients on money manager selection and is a Securities Industry 

Association panel member. Hill was the organizer and cofounder in 1988 of Tysons Financial Corporation, a holding 

company for the four-branch community bank Tysons National 

Bank. He was also Vice Chairman of the Advisory Board when 

Tysons merged with Mainstreet Bank in 1997 and with BB&T 

in 1998.

Hill’s current civic and philanthropic associations include the 

Landon School Alumni Board and Hillandale Homeowners Association. 

He is a member of Christ Church Georgetown, Chevy Chase Club, 

Metropolitan Club, Sill Bank Collectors Club, and the Oldest Inhabitants 

Club, D.C.

His avocations include tennis, golf, computers, genealogy, motor sports, 

wood and metalworking. He has a sizeable collection of machine tools. He 

lives with his wife Christine and two children in Georgetown.

Hill remembers “I first learned of the Smithsonian Libraries from (SIL 

board chair) Rosemary Ripley and was immediately intrigued by its promise as a source of primary information on American history and related 

subjects. Once I saw the Libraries’ immense and basically untapped trade 

literature collection, I knew I would become involved in helping the 

Libraries with its Campaign.” 

development

10

Libraries Board Profi les

A team of SIL staff (Ron 

Brashear, Leslie Overstreet, Stephen Van Dyk) accompanied 

Nancy Gwinn and Gwen Leighty 

to the Henderson Museum at 

Hunt Hill Farm in New Milford, 

Connecticut (an SI affi liate) on 

October 2-3, 2004 to present 

a program about the Libraries’ 

treasures. Staff brought a range 

of rare materials to show, from a 

letter by Galileo and the fi rst edition of Copernicus, to Charles 

Darwin and lavishly illustrated 

natural history volumes, pop-up 

books and an illustrated Reed & 

Barton silver trade catalog. Three 

programs, consisting of a lunch, 

cocktail reception and brunch, 

attracted 75 people to hear about 

both the Henderson Museum and 

the Smithsonian Libraries.

The event was so successful 

that SIL has been invited back to 

deliver programs in September at 

the Hunt Hill Farm and another 

SI Affi liate, Western Connecticut 

State University. 

Hunt Hill Farm

Skitch Henderson, founder 

of the New York Pops and 

SIL board member Julie 

Bailey listen attentively 

to Cooper-Hewitt National 

Design Museum Librarian 

Stephen Van Dyk during 

his presentation.

Judith 

Moore

George 

Gwynn Hill
Smithsonian Institution Libraries Information Summer/Fall 2005

Marvin Murray, one of our worthy volunteers, discovered unusual philatelic items in the National Postal 

Museum (NPM) Library. While building a database 

search aid, Murray found two stamp designs that led 

him to the origins of the Ponzi pyramid scheme, made 

infamous by its developer, Carlos Ponzi.

At the beginning of the 20th century, postal administrations all over the world were presented with a problem. Citizens had to send 

small amounts of money to businesses 

and individuals in other countries to 

pay for return postage. The Rome Postal 

Congress created an International Reply 

Coupon in 1906, but this did not solve the problem. 

The German Post suggested using a response stamp 

and sent a model to the United States, asking for its 

support at the next meeting. The United States was 

going to endorse it, but World War I intervened and 

the meeting was canceled. A competitor of the German 

proposal was a stamp designed by A. L. Bancroft 

of Los Angeles, California. His stamp had a coupon 

attached that could be cut off and taken 

to the post office to trade for postage. 

The post office did not endorse this 

design. Both of these early concepts, 

rediscovered by Murray, are preserved 

at the NPM Library.

Despite the failure of the two 

designs to gain acceptance, other coupon designs were in use. Unfortunately, fluctuating 

currency exchange rates caused problems with international reply coupons. In 1919, Carlos Ponzi received 

an International Reply Coupon in a letter from a correspondent in Spain. The fluctuating currency exchange 

allowed him to buy coupons in Spain for one cent 

and trade them in the United States for six one-cent 

stamps. He sent a message to the public, promising 

50 percent interest in 90 days. At one point Ponzi was 

taking in $1,000,000 a week. The authorities caught on 

and sent him to jail. After prison, he launched another 

pyramid scheme involving land in Florida, which got 

him thrown in jail again and eventually deported to 

Italy, where he served fittingly under the notorious 

Mussolini regime.

Murray is now working with Dr. Alan Hauck, 

a recognized author and authority on International 

Reply Coupons, to see 

if the items he found 

are known among the 

philatelic community. 

Although he is retired 

from a richly textured 

career path, including a 

term as Rector of George 

Mason University, volunteer Marvin Murray 

is busier than ever - 

when he isn’t volunteering at the NPM Library 

or indulging his passion 

for philately, he helps 

Vice President Dick 

Cheney make decisions 

about the resolution disposition of constituent 

casework cases! 

Clockwise from left: A. L. Bancroft stamp; 

volunteer Marvin Murray; National Postal Museum 

Librarian Paul McCutcheon standing in front of the 

new state-of the-art shelving; German post stamp.

11

surprising stories from the stacks

Volunteer Finds Ponzi Scheme in Stamp Designs

The National Postal Museum Library benefited 

from the museum’s need to renovate some of its 

space adjacent to the library. Thanks to $125,000 

of funding from NPM Director Allen Kane, four 

carriages were added to the existing compact 

shelving. In addition, two Megastar Carousel 

units replaced antiquated Lektrievers which 

housed the vertical files.
new, ongoing & upcoming

Penalty for Private Use $300Washington, DC 20013-7012PO Box 37012

Smithsonian Institution Libraries

sStandard

Presorted 

U.S. Postage

PAID

Permit No. G94

Washington, DC

in this issue

2 From the 

 Director 

3 Biographer’s 

 Query Leads to 

 Smithson 

 Treasure

4-5 Resident 

 Scholars

6 Price of 

 Freedom 

 Benefit

7 6th Annual 

 Spencer Baird 

 Society Dinner

10 Development

11 Surprising 

 Stories from 

 the Stacks

Exhibitions & Programs

Picturing Words: The Power of Book Illustration, a panel 

 exhibit by Smithsonian Institution Libraries at the 

 PRINT 05 & CONVERTING 05, September 9-15, 

 McCormick Place Complex, Chicago.

Digital Library

From Horses to Horsepower: Studebaker Helped Move a 

 Nation. SIL on Display by Kent C. Boese.

 http://www.sil.si.edu/ondisplay/studebaker/intro.htm

Revisiting the World’s Fairs and International 

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 http://www.sil.si.edu/silpublications/Worlds-Fairs/

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National Postal Museum Library

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Smithsonian Environmental Research Center Library

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National Zoological Park Library

 http://www.sil.si.edu/libraries/NZP

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