New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-03-13
Dwight Franklin's Graphic
Museum Exhibitions At
traCtiVe to All.
COMBINES FIGURES
WITH BACKGROUNDS
Finds Model Real Inside and Out
Gains Attention of Average
Visitor TO Institutions.

With the steadily increasing wealth
Of the treasures IN the possession Of
the great museums Of New York. a
distinctly new art has arisen from the
study by curators and artists Of the
crowds that drift through tho exhibit
ton rooms Of the Metropolitan and
the Museum Of Natural History.
They have learned that the objects
exhibited, whether paintings, Egyptian
mummies or stuffed birds, will not at
tract the attention Of the general pub
lie unless they are presented in a
graphic or striking manner. There are
few who realize the immense advances
that have been made in this direction
in the last few years.
Credit for introducing this new
method Of exhibiting collections lies
with the Museum Of Natural History,
where many birds and large animals
were placed in front Of painted back
grounds so ingeniously contrived that
It is almost impossible 70 tell where
the real objects merge into the can
vas.
Dwight Franklin's Method.
II is only recently, however, that the
idea behind this graphic representation
Of fauna in their natural surroundings
was seen TO have an application in mu-
seums Of art. A young artist engaged
to assist in mounting the bird species,
Dwight Franklin, began 20 study the
psychology Of museum crowds. As he
was a sculptor as we'll his study re-
suited in first contriving a series Of
geographical groups, as he calls them,
for the Children's Museum, in Bedford
Park, Brooklyn.
One-the Sahara groups an inter
esting example Of his method. Three
palm trees are real. the rest painted
while the rough sand merges into the
background so perfectly that at dis
tance it is impossible TO discover the
dividing line.
II the Children's Museum are ell
ready SIX of Mr. Franklin's groups.
Several more, representing Arctic and
Jungle scenes, are being rapidly com
pleted. One represents the interior OF
an Esquimau snow hut, the walls coy
cred with white skins and the family
seated around a circular OIL ire, when
furnishes the only light for the scene
Another is a hunting view. IN when
the aurora borealis Is thrown across
the canvas sky by a concealed arrange
mcnt Of electric lights.
Tells of Crowds He Watched.
Another Of the artists large groups
is in the Newark museum, while he j.
now AZ work on the interior Of d
uedieval castle. represented IN NINA
ture. for the Metropolitan. The arts
was putting in o stained glass window
when he was seen at the Museum yes
tcrday.
81 used TO watch the people walking
through the ground floor OF the Metro
Dolitan." he said land ! noticed that
their attention was always attracted 10y
the model OF the Parthenon IN the
centre and by the Egyptian temple near
il. while many other larger models
ESCAPED them. The reason for this
seems 10 be that in both OF these you
can look through the porticos to the
interior. Most people are attracted by
the thing. children are, and the TACT
that the models are as real inside as
out makes all the difference.
"The recently installed tomb Of Per
reb. in the Egyptian collection IS a
GOOD example OF the new idea. To De
able actually 20 walk around inside i
Affects the imagination more than an
acre Of tomb walls exhibited IN the
old manner So in my work have ieli
that these models which | am making
will perhaps succeed in reconstruct
other ages and conditions Of life In the
minds Of the people who see them
more clearly than any other way.
Would Please Average Visitor.
"Of course. the student or the artist
will always get his material from the
originals without greatly caring no"
they are presented, but the average
visitor 10 a museum merely seeks 20
find something Of interest. We are
irving 20 educate him IN the process.
Mr. Franklin spends almost as mucn
lime in studying the details Of his
croups and their setting as ne does iH
their actual execution. Recently GOO
mol Roosevelt examined the artist
Nassi Indians and their circular mud
buts from British East Africa IN ms
studio and could find not single de-
tail 20 criticise.