This cast copy was made from a cast loaned by Prof. Angus Crawford of the Episcopal Theological Seminary of Virginia, Alexandria, VA, in 1888. Cast was made for display in the Cincinnati Exposition. See p. 94 in U.S. National Museum Annual Report for 1888: https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/31195857 . Anthropology catalogue ledger book notes the cast as made by U.S. National Museum preparator Joseph Palmer and see p. 64 in U.S. National Museum Annual Report for 1888: https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/31195827 . It is noted there that Joseph Palmer took a mold of a large Assyrian obelisk at the Episcopal Seminary of Virginia at Alexandria. This object may be part of or related to Accession No. 20826? Original of this object is of black limestone, in British Museum, # 118885, Registration number 1848,1104.1; found in 1846 by Austen Henry Layard at Kalhu (Calah), modern Nimrud. It commemorates the deeds of King Shalmaneser III (reigned 858-824 BC). http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=367012&partId=1
Cast is illustrated Pl. 8, after p. 448 in "The Collections of Old World Archeology in the United States National Museum" by I. M. Casanowicz, pp. 415 - 498 in Smithsonian Institution Annual Report for 1922, http://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/15654744 .
Anthropology files contain old 19th or early 20th century black and white prints of this cast, with the negative number recorded as 10859, however, per the Smithsonian Institution Archives, this negative number is incorrect. In 2018, Smithsonian Archives Photographic Services scanned one of the file prints (front and back). The high resolution tiff is on file with them under # 10859A, and tiff copies may be requested from them.
