The wageworker. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1904-????, 1906-09-21
FOR WORKS OF ART
SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION is
NATIONAL GALLERY.
Decision Recently Made Is of Much
Importance and Means Assem-
bling of Magnificent
Art Collections.

By a decision of Justice Stafford in
the District supreme court, it has been
determined that this country already
possesses national art gallery. This
decision is interesting first because no
one realized that there was such a
thing as a national gallery in this
country, and. second, because it brings
to the government and incidentally to
Washington the Harriet Lane John
ston art collection, which is intrinsic
ally valuable, very beautiful, and will
form the nucleus around which a real
national collection eventually will be
built up. The pictures have just been
transferred to the custody of the
Smithsonian Institution and will be
placed on exhibition as soon as posi-
BILE.
This decision of the court is more
important than even the transfer of
the Johnston collection would indi
cate. The Smithsonian has had an
art collection for years, and it has
slowly been growing, mostly through
gifts; but the present decision recog-
nizes it as a national gallery. This
though the collection for the present
will be housed in the lecture hall of
the National museum, there will
doubtless in time be separate build
ing erected for the art collection; and
there is no reason why in time the ma
tiona1 gallery in Washington should
not be quite as much a center of at
traction to visitors as the National gal
lery in London.
By the will of Harriet Lane John
ston in 1903 her art collection, con-
sisting of 80 paintings, brsts and other
objects, was left to the Corcoran art
gallery until such time as there should
be established by the United States
government a national art gallery. The
bequest to the Corcoran gallery was
accompanied by number of conditions
such as that the collection should be
housed in separate room without
artificial heat, and there were some
other provisions, to comply with which
would have entailed more expenditure
than the trustees felt that they were
justified in making for a merely tenn
porary collection. They therefore de-
clined the custody, and it looked for
a time as though the collection would
have to be sold and the money divided
with the estate. going principally to
the Harriet Lane Johnston Home.
President Roosevelt, who is interest
ed in such matters, urged on congress
- duty to establish national gallery
but it is seldom that such thing can
be done in one session and the matter
went by default. Finally the executors
of the estate and the Smithsonian in
stitution went into court in friendly
suit to determine the custody of the
pictures. Then it was that Judge Stat
ford decided that the Smithsonian al
ready constituted national gallery
AS a matter of fact the formation
of an art gallery is one of the first
duties of the Smithsonian under the
act creating it, and when the present
Smithsonian building was erected it
| was designed with two of the biggest
rooms specially built for gallery.
The act creating it says that it shall
have custody of objects of art, the re-
suits of curious and foreign research"
This function of the institution has
been recognized by the regents all
along and there have been a number
of valuable objects acquired that have
| more place in an art gallery than they
have in museum.
Some of them have been turned over
to the temporary care of the Corcoran
gallery and some to the library Of
congress; but they will all go with the
Johnston collection toward forming
| the foundation of national gallery.
| There are other and more extensive
| plans afoot that will help on the work.
! but they have not yet taken official
| shape, but it is sufficient for the pres
ent to refer to the fact that they are
| in existence.
One of the first purchases of the
! Smithsonian, directly in line with the
| formation of the art gallery, was the
Marsh collection of prints and engrav-
ings. This was lucky speculation, as
it proved. George P. Marsh was for a
long time United States minister to
| Greece and to Italy. His collection of
prints was a notable one and was
bought by the Smithsonian in 1849
| for three or four thousand dollars. 1t
| was temporarily deposited with the
congressional library, and experts esti-
| mate its value now at between $50, 900
and 100000.
The Smithsonian already has quite
a large collection of busts of promi-
nent men and scientists, several valu-
able portraits and other objects, all of
which will go into the new collection.