The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-01-03
OFFER TO ART INSTITUTE
LIEUT.. A. p. NIBLACK WILL LOAN
HIS VALUABLE CURIOs.
Collection Cleaned from All Parts of
the World Placed at Disposal
OF Association.

Lieut.. A. p Niblack, of the United States
navy. who is home on furlough spending
the holidays with his mother, at No 100
West North street, has made a generous
offer TO the Heron Art Institute, which, it
Is believed. will be accepted During TWEEN
cy-six years roaming over the world in
cruises from pole TO pole Lieutenant Nib
lack has accumulated a valuable collection
CT curios that are not seen in the windows
Of shops or in the hands of the ordinary
globe trotter. This diversified collection he
has offered to loan to the Heron Art In
stitute for three years, with the sole proviso
that the institute take reasonable precau-
tons. TO insure the safety of the articles
consigned to it's care. A meeting OF the di-
rectors of the Art Association will be held
within few days and an answer returned
TO Lieutenant Niblack
The other day the naval officer paid a
visit 10 the rooms of the institute. at Six
teenth and Pennsylvania streets He OBJ
served that. while the pictures shown were
excellent, neither the size nor the variety
OF the exhibition was as noteworthy as
such an institution should have. With the
idea OF assisting the institute to get start
the lieutenant determined to turn over his
collection to IL for at least three years.
Il am greatly interested in the plans and
purposes of the Art Institute" said Lieu
tenant Niblaclx yesterday, and it occurred
TO me that, while my collection is of no
fabulous value. yet 1t might be useful in
curios and souvenirs will be useful for dec
Orative purposes If for nothing else al
though. there are many articles in it that
have written letter TO the directors but
have not received reply from them.
AWAITING sEa ORDERS.
Lieutenant Niblack is awaiting orders
that viii take him to sea for three years
Just where he does not know, because the
assignment Of officers on a cruise is more
or less OF a lottery. He believes that he
could not make better disposition of the
collection than to put 1t in the hands of
the krt Association.
The collection was CLEANED in visits TO
Alaska, China. the interior of Africa. the
Barbary coast. the Philippines. the Malay
peninsula and other places where the foot
OF Cooks travellers do not penetrate CON-
monty. Inere are swoIcs sun grimy from
Algiers and Tunis. with sinister, suggestive
red-rust markings on the curved blades
There are Malay krises. with graceful, un-
dulating blades. the kind of sword with
which the little yellow men OF the Orient
delight to behead tribal enemies There
are Filipino bolos. which recent events
have made familiar TO most people, and
knives from Alaska with wooden scabbards
and wooden handles carved in totem de-
vices Fifteen or twenty war knives that
are unusually interesting are comprised in
Lieutenant Nibiacks collection
In addition to these, there are Indian
baskets. Chinese opium pipes. Chinese EN-
broidery and Japanese knick-knacks. beau
tiful and quaint. A large part of his col.
lection Lieutenant Niblack has at the fam.
lily residence on North street. but another
part is in the National Museum at Wash
loaned "A
In case the Art Association directors &C
cept his offer Lieutenant Niblack viii SEND
10 Washington for the other part of the
association.
Lieutenant Niblack was appointed 10 ths
Naval Academy from Vincennes. which
formerly was his home Several years agS
his family moved 10 Indianapolis and re
cent furloughs have been spent here.