Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-05-04
The Louvre.
tcopyrIght, 1go7. by Iohn Elfreth watkins

Copyright. 1907, by John Elfreth watkins)
Washington. like every other great capt.
tai of the world. is to have its national gal
lery of art. In fact. 1t already has one
has had one, indeed, since 1S46-accerding
to recent opinion OF the Attorney General.
The question lately came to an issue upon
the settlement of the estate of Mrs Harriet
Lane Johnston. niece of President Buchan-
an. who was the hostess Of the present
King OF England when he, as the young
Prince Of Wales. visited the White House.
Mrs. Johnston bequeathed her valuable
paintings to the Corcoran Gallery of Art,
Washington, to be held there until the
government should establish a national
/ gallery of art. According to the Attor-
ney General the Smithsonian has been
the national gallery of art for over sixty
years by virtue OF the act of organization
. which states that 1t shall be the repository
for AL objects of art and of foreign and
curious research belonging to the United
States and which may be in the city Of
: Washington, In whosesoever custody"
Upon the announcement of this official
opinion the Corcoran Gallery recently turn
ed over the Johnston collection to the
Smithsonian. and it has been installed in
the National Museum.
The news that We had a national gallery
at once reached the ear of Mr.. William T.
time IN contributing his excellent collection
of fifty paintings by American artists This
collection is said to be worth at least $780,
600 Mr.. Evans has been for many years
a generous patron of American art, for
whose encouragement he has. given prizes
and arranged exhibitions. His gift to the
national gallery was made before the gov
eminent could provide sufficient space for
Its installation and 1t has just been placed
temporarily In the atrium of the Corcoran
Gallery.
The Freer Collection.
Added to these will be a million-dollar coll
lection to be given to the Smithsonian by
Mr.. Charles L. Freer of Detroit 1t includes
to date about 1000 items. $50 being val
liable works by " nistIer and $50 being
pieces of ancient oriental pottery. The
Whistler collection includes also the entire
decorations of the famous peacock room
by that artist. The entire collection has
cost Mr.. Freer $500. 600 to date, and to this
he proposes to add almost as much more,
besides giving the sum of 100000 for the
construction of a separate gallery to house
the whole collection. The Smithsonian will
receive the collection and the funds for
the gallery upon Mr.. Freer.s death. This
building will be erected In the Smithsonian
Park near the new National Museum now
In course of erection. Although bearing Mr..
Freers name, 1t will be a part of the ma
tional gallery of art. There are already
on hand other valuable art objects acquired
by the Smithsonian from time to time.
George P. Marsh. while minister to Italy
collected in that country 1900 valuable
engravings and etchings. chiefly by the old
masters of the Italian school. These were
purchased by the Smithsonian in 1850 for
$1,000 and are now estimated to be worth
fully $4,000. The Smithsonian having no
adequate room for them they were turned
over to the Library of Congress. where they
are now displayed in one of the rooms Of
the print division in charge of Arthur JEFF
freys Parsons. The print division now has
in all about go. 900 prints of various kinds.
largely deposits for copyright, but includ-
ing the valuable Peter Force, Gardiner
Greene Hubbard and Crosby s. Noyes col
lections- These. with the exception of the
Marsh collection. will probably not be
transferred to the national gallery.
The President the other day expressed
himself in favor of an adequate building in
which to house the national collections and