St. Tammany farmer., 1906-09-29
FOR WORKS OF ART
SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION IS
NATIONAL GALLERY.
Decision Recently Made is OF Much
Importance and Means Assem-
bling of Magnificent
Art Collections.

possesses a national art gallery. THIS
decision is interesting first because no |
one realized that there was such q
thing as a national gallery In this
and, second, because 1t brings
to the government and incidentally to |
the Harriet Lane john |
ston art collection, which is intrinsic
ally valuable. very beautiful, and VIII
form the nucleus around which real
national collection eventually VIII be
built up. The pictures have just been
to the custody Of the
Smithsonian institution and Will be
placed on exhibition as soon as posi-
bic.
This decision of the court is more
than even the transfer OF
the Johnston collection would indi
cate. The Smithsonian has had an
art collection for years, and 1t has
slowly been growing, mostly through
gifts; but the present decision recog'
nizes 1t as q national gallery. This
will attract more donations, and al
though the collection for the present
will be housed in the lecture hall OF
the National museum, there will
doubtless in time be a separate build
ing erected for the art collection; and
there is no reason why in time the ma
tional gallery In Washington should
not be quite as much 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 20 paintings, busts 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 q 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 merely tenn
porary collection. They therefore de-
clined the custody, and it looked for
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
its 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 1t was that Judge Stat
ford decided that the Smithsonian al
ready constituted national gallery.
AS matter of fact the formation
| Of an art gallery is one OF the first
duties of the Smithsonian under the
act creating 1t, and when the present
Smithsonian building was erected II
was designed with two of the biggest
rooms specially built for a gallery
The act creating 1t says that 1t 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 al
along and there have been q number
of valuable objects acquired that have
more place in an art gallery than they
have in museum.
Some of them have been turned ove1
to the temporary care Of the Corcorar
gallery and some to the library o1
congress; but they will all 60 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 oficia
shape, but it is sufficient for the pres
ent to refer to the fact that they arr
! In existence.
One of the first purchases OF tn
Smithsonian, directly in line with tn
formation of the art gallery, was tn
Marsh collection of prints and engrav
ings. This was a lucky speculation. q
It proved. George P. Marsh was for
long time United States minister t.
Greece and to Italy. His collection Q
prints was notable one and wa
bought by the Smithsonian In 1S4
for three or four thousand dollars. !
was temporarily deposited with tn
congressional library, and experts est
mate its value now at between $4,000
and 100000.
The Smithsonian already has quit
| 4 large collection of busts Of prom
! nent men and scientists, several Walt
, able portraits and other objects, all Q
: which will go into the new collection