Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-12-26
GALLERY AND CABINET.
IMPORTANT CHANGES AT THE
CITY'S ART GALLERY.
Rehanging Reveals New Beauties
The Mineral Cabinet Completed
Opening Tomorrow.

them that exhibited bad cracking. This
consummation was brought about by the
generosity of Mrs. E. B. Croker, who,
through her Sacramento agent, notified
Art Instructor Jackson of the Sacramento
School of Design that if he would under
take the work, she would bear the expense
of the same. This offer was accepted, and
as result of Mrs. Crocker's iberality, the
task was finished, by hard work and steady
application, in time to reopen the gallery
to-day, as contemplated and announced.
Yesterday however, the Trustees of the
States Mineral Cabinet were engaged at
the gallery in reviewing their work and
arranging to open the cabinet to public
view; as they desired to have the janitress
devote most of to-day in their department,
at the request of the Board the gallery
building will not be opened until to-mor-
row morning.
Mr.. Jackson in rearranging the gallery
employed competent assistants one of
whom has for many years been engaged in
picture handling. In all over three hun
dred pictures were handled in the gallery
in the week and readiusted. The result
has been to very greatly improve the ap-
brought into new prominence many famil-
lar paintings, while scores of others have
been brought into such fine view that they
cannot now escape the eye. that were be-
fore not seen, or seen only at a great disad-
vantage. The great mass of the smaller
paintings have been brought down to the
level of the eye, and appear as revelations
Some large paintings were before hung in
lights so ill-adapted to their color and char
acter that their true beauty and the full
intent Of the artist were not perceptible,
and others were surrounded by pictures
that deadened and destroyed the effect in
tended by the artist, and negatived the
colors and lights and shades Others, still.
were greatly marred by exposure of wall
space, destroying the illusion of distance
effects. All these ills have been remedied
by the changes effected by Mr. Jackson, so
far as changes can at present be made, as q
very few more are advised that cannot well
be undertaken now. The visitor to the
gallery will now be surprised at the re-
markable results of the changes, but at the
qualification the eve experiences in conse-
quence. the skill of the artist has en-
abled him to rearrange the paintings
with a view to harmony of color,
correspondence of character in subjects,
contrasts where demanded, needed light
and shade to develop pictures strength,
and all the many other details of ad-
justment suggested by the critical taste,
to produce the very best effects. Visit
ors to the E. B. Crocker Art Gallery will
now find paintings of rare merit meeting
their gaze, that they will be ready to assert
they never saw before, though they may
have gone through the gallery deliberately
and critically half hundred times. They
will see paintings they have examined
scores of times that are now so readiusted
that they disclose features and beauties not
before credited to them. In fact, the
changes effected give a new charm to the
whole collection, and prove conclusively
that the rehanging ught to have been done
years ago. A number of the paintings
have been revarnished by Mr.. Jackson, and
several which were badly cracked have
been repaired by him so skillfully that the
work cannot be detected The picture of
The Raising of Jairus' Daughter" in the
south gallery at the west end, is a notable
example of the repairing done, one of the
faces in the painting that had cracked and
blistered having been skillfully restored,
and with much of the drapery of the fig
ure also. Every visitor will be at once
struck with the new character Hills great
painting of Yosemite, in the central gal
lery, takes on; the new beauty it discloses
and the remarkably improved distance
effects, due to the plan adopted of hanging
other pictures upon the same wall and the
shutting out of all blank wall space.
THE MINERAL CABINET.
The Trustees of the State Mineral Cabi.
net, Mayor Gregory presiding, held three
hours session yesterday at the Art Gallery,
where the cabinet is located, to review and
accept the work, if satisfactory, of Secretary
Pyburn and DR.. Schneider in the rearrange-
ment and classification of the specimens.
Every case was examined in detail but, of
course, not every specimen taken in hand.
The Board was unanimous in the opinion
that the cabinet is great deal more yalua-
BILE than has heretofore been supposed
that the work OF the Secretary has been
well and thoroughly done, and that the
classification adopted by DR.. Schneider is
the hest that, under all the circumstances,
could have been. 1t is what is popularity
known as the Dana classification. If the
Trustees had more cabinet room much bet
ter work could have been done. After the
classification by DR.. Schneider, Secretary
Pyburn undertook the arrangement, label
ing and identification. This has engaged
him for nearly four months, and was not
finally completed until yesterday. Indeed,
he will need to work to-day still, after the
janitor shall have cleaned the room thor
oughly, in marking over each of the de-
partments of the cabinets the pages of the
catalogue illustrative of the departments.
There remain in the drawers about 600
| specimens for which there is not room for
proper placing in the cabinet; neither are
these catalogued, nor will they be until a
second edition of the catalogue is issued,
as they are largely geological specimens
archaeological and the curious and do not
come under meteorological classification
properly.
Every specimen, after being identified
with the catalogue, has been placed in a
paper case or box. Beneath this is stiff
label, with the States title printed upon it
and the catalogue line pasted on its face.
The edge of each OF these labels is turned
up and exposes the catalogue number.
which it is necessary that the visitor should
examine, as the specimen itself covers the
| face of the label. Had there been sufficient
cabinet room the labels could have been
| laid in front of the specimens, and thus
| catalogue reference avoided. However, it
| is believed that the latter method will be
the most satisfactory to the intelligent. II
| will be necessary for the public to keep in
mind that it was impossible, under the
classification adopted, to place the speci-
mems in numerical order. Each class,
4
| and it will be necessary in examining the
cabinet to ascertain by the label over the
head of the department which set of num-
bers TO look for.
There are, in all, between 1000 and 5000
| specimens that are considered of high
value. The Trustees are unanimous in
their judgment that, in many respects, il
is one of the most valuable collections il
the country, and possesses some features
that no other so well shows, as in agates,
| for instance.
1t was resolved that the cabinet should
be opened on Thursday morning at Il
O'Clock, and thereafter on all the usua
visiting days of the Gallery that the daily
custody should be that of the custodian O.
the E. B. Crocker Art Gallery employed by
the city that in all cases where large
groups of persons come together the Gus
todian or an assistant should endeavor tC
accompany them; that the Legislature
would be asked to allow a small sum to pay
for putting glass over the drawers of tbs
unclassifed specimens, in order that they
may be speedily exhibited also to procure
new aud better locks for the doors of thu
cabinets. 1t was resolved also that all per
sons who enter the cabinet room must d.
so by first passing through the main uppel
entrance. and that the lower doors will no
be used for either exit or entrance.
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