Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-06-05

it's highest and broadcast |
form here in the Nations |
Capital; culture along all lines--edu- |
cational, both classical and practical; |
literature has always flourished here,
architecture is seen in its best forms.
the far corners of the earth and the
most heroic spots in history have
yielded their choicest memorabilia
and relics to our museums; we have
here the refinement of character and
customs, with official representatives
of all the great nations contributing.
AS one impressive example of this
we'll rounded culture-Wa shington
since the days of it's first occupancy
by the seat of Government has been
recognized as an art center-and today
it challenges the world in this regard.
True, we lack here the luster Of recog.
milton for ages; we lack the a,mos-
phere and influence of the old masters,
we lack the Bohemian atmosphere of
n storfed Latin Quarter''-but we
have here budding genius that will
carry the torch forward, we have here
real art treasures, we have here
general art influence that no other
locality in all the world can match,
and we have a future where other
great cities have past.
we nave city artistically laid out
and culturally developed after a re-
fined study Of the best the rest of the
world can show. From the very first
our public buildings have been struc-
lures of beauty instead of the rude
habitations with which infant cities
usually start. These palaces in
woods" separated by magnificent
distances, were the subject of tests
by the short-sighted, but their males.
tic proportions. arising in sylvan soil.
tudes, have had an inspiring and pro.
phetic effect on the appreciative, so
that today the White House, the Pat
ent Office, the Treasury and the Cap.
1tol. following the old Grecian prin.
ciples, continue to dominate the archi.
lecture of this great city symbolic of
the greatest government that ever ex-
listed.
Trails Now Broad Avenues.
The muddy wagon trails that dis.
couraged the first Government off.
clals on their advent to the Capital in
Iooo, ana the surrounding forests, so
recently the happy hunting ground of
one OF the greatest tribes Of Indians
nave given way to broad avenues of
tame and landscaping that is a mo.
sale masterpiece on one of the fairest
stretches of nature, with values en-.
hanced by shrines of heroism and
patriotism.
All this is art-municipal art-and
the apotheosis of municipal art-since
ART Is nothing else but the expires.
sion of beauty.
But since the earliest days of the
CdPitai CITY 1t has been growing as
an art center. In 1916 David Baltic
Warden reoOrdad fbot ~
Baltimore, Mr.. Boyle, had collected
objects of natural history to form, a
museum in building in the very
heart of the city which had former
~ oeen occupied by Stewart, the cele.
prated portrait painter. Again. in
1879, William Q. Force chronicAd
ABOUT the art gallery of Charles King.
an artist who maintained a studio and
exhibition salon on Twelfth street he.
tween E and F, and he even at that
early date said that the Capital CITY
mad become known as an art center.
Dr. William H. Holmes, director of
the National Gallery of Art, in the
smithsonian Institution, gives credit
for the initial step in establishment
or a museum and gallery of art in
washington to a humble citizen
named Warden, who began collecting
gallery was first known as THE John
Warden Museum" An early catalogue
shows that this contained 80 listed
pieces OF art. In 1S41 this collection
was transferred to the society known
as The National Institution for the
PROMOTION of Science" of which Joel
H. Polnsett, Secretary of War, was
nrst president, and which was given
space in the Patent Office.
Passes to Smithsonian.
After the Smithsonian Institution
was established by act of Congress
in 1916 these collections of art as
we'll as of science passed to this new
government, established for increase
and diffusion of knowledge among
men. and art was given prominence
as one of the branches to be culti-
waited disastrous fire in 1866 wiped
out most of this historic early col.
lection, but interest was rekindled in
the early years of 1900 by priceless
gifts of rare art works.
In 1902 collection Of paintings and
other works of art was bequeathed to
the Corcoran Gallery of Art by Har.
riet Lane Johnson, mistress Of the
White House during Buchanan's ad.
ministration. subject to the condition
that should a national gallery be es.
tablished in Washington they should
become the absolute property of that
gallery. In 1906 this collection was
transferred to the Smithsonian Insti-
tuition as the duly constituted National
Gallery of Arts. by decision of the
Supreme Court of the District. Mean.
while, in 1904 Charles l.. Freer of De.
troit, Mich. offered his great col.
lection of art works, mostly Oriental,
and later offered a building to prop
erly house them. which was COM
pleted in 1922
Since then rapid progress has been
made in the art collection although
there was no special provision for
art until 1920. The collections have |
accumulated entirely as gifts and |
requests from public-spirited citizens. |
1t is a remarkable fact that no single |
work of painting or sculpture has, for |
arts sake alone, been acquired for the
National Gallery by purchase with |
funds provided by the National Gov. |
eminent. which is in strong contrast |
with the history of the art collections |
of other countries.
Gallery Is Not Burden.
1t nay prove a surprise to many |
that the gallery is not financial |
burden to the Government. but that |
it holds exceptional rank as a profit. |
branch of the Government |
service. Since art has been recog. |
niZed as a worthy feature of the I,
Institution, the gallery !
has acquired by gift and bequest, |
without cost--in addition to the Freer /
Gallery, which is a separate unit
art values amounting to more than |
SIS 1000 900, or much more than 100 |
times the amount expended by Con-
gross for it's maintenance. Today it |
is recognized that works of art
such as masterpieces of painting and |
sculpture. old tapestries, old vtigs |
and the like-have a stable value in |
the world market. and from a finan-
cial point of view are not a luxury
but the safest of investments. which |