Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1924-11-16

Metropolitan Museum of Art
in New York last Monday
This building, which was the gift OF
Mr.. and Mrs. Robert w. dc Forest
of New York., consists of seventeen
rooms and three exhibition galleries
all of which are devoted to or arc IN
themselves exhibits Of the early art
Of America. To SO set forth American
i.Ft of that period, placing 1t in COM
petition with the great art of the
World and 50 proving its quality T'aA
.. patriotic undertaking and one
which has been crowned with sue
cess.
In his address at the opening cere-
monies MIR. de Forest. the distinguish
ed president OF the metropolitan Mu-
scum. as we'll as of the American
Federation of Arts, said that when,
less than a quarter Of :, Century ago.
ne had suggested to ons Of the trus-
tees of the museum. the desirability
OF collecting and preserving examples
of American decorative arts, this
trustee, who was himself a collector
and 4 discriminating critic. ex-
claimed:
What is there TO collect; what is
there that is worth putting in q
Museum? Were not the best things
that our an"eStor.s had French or
English. certaiuly foreign made"
Had tnat trustee been alive today
Ni. dc Forest Veuturcd the belief he
H"uld have been among the first to
acclaim the merit Of our early Amer
lean productions.
+ X *
This wing OF the great metropolitan
Museum Mas in large part the out
come OF interest aroused in early
American art by the Hudson Fulton
t.s,, ~ 4
1909. In December OF that year Mrs
Russell Sage gave the museum the
~. Eugene Eolies collection of Ameri-
can furniture. Thus initiated, the col
lection of American decorative arts
has steadily Increased through gifts
and purchases
Not only has the museum collected
furniture, glassware, silver and othe I
household articles in the making OF
which the art of design was essential,
out it has collected the interiors of
rooms from old houses which were
about to be destroyed. and these have
been rebuilt in the new wing.
The south wall of the building is
the old facade of the United States
Branch Bank, which, until a few
years ago, stood q 1J wall street-arl
admirable example Of "the adapta-
ton of classical forms with almost
archaeological rsstraint.2 the work of
son. abort $500
From 1874 Ia tai4 ,r,,z ,,nir,ri,
housed III. I.n3+.,l S,.,.s So So
then When = U.s. -, dr,,,',, NJ. = :
Forest orIr,has.5 a.. o1d stan.s 80
them c,raf,,iI,, ~, 49,. 49,, -,
so thar thtv ,o,,II =, . <,,,,1-
A. now. be re-ere-ct.d
Grosvenor Attert,rv rb. architect
said in his address a. ,be o,anI,.
that /, was no easy tasIx 80 -.
seventeen disFs-.nt go" ~.
different times ali IooIt a.. ~ a.
windows of the old Assay ot4ice. ~
he seems 70 have solved tb,s nar,,o~
ing proh,er, adn,iroh11, 49, =,
The II roop, ~. 80. l
rather viii ev,r.-.
wjth a, .n,o.. I.',. .ltu
~ ~ Deeh
..
n
mr. .r, ms are OK ING MIRO
-. ply TIE HFst
~. ,..,i.i" - pe t>.r,'isu one o.
go a,,.l % -, 90, ai,a Am
IL - - 49, Io'n's on
go, Itt .! IT, ,s2to'!0
-, e " :.
of ,bc n,,ior..,,d .'e...,.1,io -
-enaissa11c>, r,1s.> ,+,i.-<s ~. ~
yr...a- ,,i.;t;.: ~
-. e.;i = -
Indicate. furtnerrnorf .,n ..incra,sed
luxury. based unoD accum,,1atad
wealth and an sttjtude vhicb e,-
.,ourared a frae axnendIture ~ +hIs
wealth unon tba nbvsicaI snrro,,,.s1
fngs Of EVERYDAY life n was ner;od
of rocco influence and. ronph,v d.t-
ting. would ba placed hetWee, 1ha