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Installation Ceremony and Reception for the Presidential Advisory Council on Continuing Education, SI Building Lounge, 6/23/1982. Speakers Hughes, Hon. E. Thomas Coleman, Chief Justice, and S. Dillon Ripley.

Container:
Box 27 of 34
Type:
Archival materials
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 106, Smithsonian Institution, Tape Recordings
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Tape Recordings
Tape Recordings / Box 27
Archival Repository:
Smithsonian Institution Archives
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-sia-faru0106-refidd1e4711

S. Dillon Ripley Presenting the Smithson Medal to Messrs. Wheeler and Moynihan; as well as other awards at an award ceremony held in the Smithsonian Building Lounge, 6/24/1976

Container:
Box 21 of 34
Type:
Archival materials
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 106, Smithsonian Institution, Tape Recordings
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Tape Recordings
Tape Recordings / Box 21
Archival Repository:
Smithsonian Institution Archives
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-sia-faru0106-refidd1e3227

S. Dillon Ripley, et. al. Press Conference, SI Building Lounge, "Maximum Sustainable Yield," 4/15/1975

Container:
Box 21 of 34
Type:
Archival materials
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 106, Smithsonian Institution, Tape Recordings
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Tape Recordings
Tape Recordings / Box 21
Archival Repository:
Smithsonian Institution Archives
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-sia-faru0106-refidd1e3283

Dorothy Rosenberg Farewell Party, SI Building, 1/9/1980. Speakers S. Dillon Ripley and Dorothy Rosenberg.

Container:
Box 26 of 34
Type:
Archival materials
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 106, Smithsonian Institution, Tape Recordings
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Tape Recordings
Tape Recordings / Box 26
Archival Repository:
Smithsonian Institution Archives
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-sia-faru0106-refidd1e4178

Brooks Award, SI Building Lounge, 5/20/1982. S. Hughes, Speaker. Robert Burke, Recipient.

Container:
Box 27 of 34
Type:
Archival materials
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 106, Smithsonian Institution, Tape Recordings
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Tape Recordings
Tape Recordings / Box 27
Archival Repository:
Smithsonian Institution Archives
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-sia-faru0106-refidd1e4688

Teleshow, SI Building, MNH Building, 3/1964

Container:
Box 4 of 34
Type:
Archival materials
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 106, Smithsonian Institution, Tape Recordings
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Tape Recordings
Tape Recordings / Box 4
Archival Repository:
Smithsonian Institution Archives
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-sia-faru0106-refidd1e679

Moore, Charles

Collection Creator:
Freer, Charles Lang, 1856-1919  Search this
Container:
Box 24, Folder 13-17
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1912-1919
Scope and Contents note:
See also: Pewabic Pottery
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository.
Collection Citation:
Charles Lang Freer Papers. FSA A.01. National Museum of Asian Art Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Gift of the estate of Charles Lang Freer.
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Charles Lang Freer Papers
Charles Lang Freer Papers / Series 2: Correspondence / 2.1: Charles Lang Freer Correspondence
Archival Repository:
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/dc3e8a2a267-de51-4bd0-b2c6-160a58e4bac6
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-fsa-a-01-ref425
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Platt, Charles Adams

Collection Creator:
Freer, Charles Lang, 1856-1919  Search this
Container:
Box 27, Folder 2-12
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1912-1919
Scope and Contents note:
See also: Biele, Charles F., and Sons Company; Saint-Gaudens, Augustus
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository.
Collection Citation:
Charles Lang Freer Papers. FSA A.01. National Museum of Asian Art Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Gift of the estate of Charles Lang Freer.
See more items in:
Charles Lang Freer Papers
Charles Lang Freer Papers / Series 2: Correspondence / 2.1: Charles Lang Freer Correspondence
Archival Repository:
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/dc3cbb003de-cfb7-42e9-9973-049abfbcf694
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-fsa-a-01-ref477
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Rathbun, Richard

Collection Creator:
Freer, Charles Lang, 1856-1919  Search this
Container:
Box 28, Folder 1-4
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1906-1919
Scope and Contents note:
See also: Karlbeck, Orvar
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository.
Collection Citation:
Charles Lang Freer Papers. FSA A.01. National Museum of Asian Art Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Gift of the estate of Charles Lang Freer.
See more items in:
Charles Lang Freer Papers
Charles Lang Freer Papers / Series 2: Correspondence / 2.1: Charles Lang Freer Correspondence
Archival Repository:
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/dc34ec8034a-ebe4-4f4f-a957-5f9669bb00a4
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-fsa-a-01-ref489
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Letterpress book. Volume 24, 1908 March 5 - August 10

Collection Creator:
Freer, Charles Lang, 1856-1919  Search this
Container:
Box 49, Folder 2
Type:
Archival materials
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository.
Collection Citation:
Charles Lang Freer Papers. FSA A.01. National Museum of Asian Art Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Gift of the estate of Charles Lang Freer.
See more items in:
Charles Lang Freer Papers
Charles Lang Freer Papers / Series 2: Correspondence / 2.2: Charles Lang Freer Letterpress Books, 1892-1910
Archival Repository:
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/dc364c67075-7991-4508-ace9-45fb0729fc2a
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-fsa-a-01-ref664
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Letterpress book. Volume 26, 1908 December 3 - 1909 March 10

Collection Creator:
Freer, Charles Lang, 1856-1919  Search this
Container:
Box 50, Folder 2
Type:
Archival materials
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository.
Collection Citation:
Charles Lang Freer Papers. FSA A.01. National Museum of Asian Art Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Gift of the estate of Charles Lang Freer.
See more items in:
Charles Lang Freer Papers
Charles Lang Freer Papers / Series 2: Correspondence / 2.2: Charles Lang Freer Letterpress Books, 1892-1910
Archival Repository:
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/dc34200f8b2-a91d-4211-ab83-e67be1ccfcc9
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-fsa-a-01-ref666
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SI-Q How can design tell a story?

Creator:
Smithsonian Institution  Search this
Type:
YouTube Videos
Uploaded:
2015-04-16T19:23:16.000Z
YouTube Category:
Film & Animation  Search this
See more by:
SmithsonianVideos
Data Source:
Smithsonian Institution
YouTube Channel:
SmithsonianVideos
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:yt_bBCm-CFR-uQ

Minutes

Extent:
8.70 cu. ft. (9 document boxes) (7 12x17 boxes) (1 16x20 box)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Manuscripts
Date:
1846-1995
Descriptive Entry:
These records are the official minutes of the Board. They are compiled at the direction of the Secretary of the Smithsonian, who is also secretary to the Board, after approval by the Regents' Executive Committee and by the Regents themselves. The minutes are edited, not a verbatim account of proceedings. For reasons unknown, there are no manuscript minutes for the period from 1857 through 1890; and researchers must rely on printed minutes published in the Annual Report of the Smithsonian Institution instead. Minutes are transferred regularly from the Secretary's Office to the Archives. Minutes less than 15 years old are closed to researchers. Indexes exist for the period from 1907 to 1946 and can be useful.
Historical Note:
The Smithsonian Institution was created by authority of an Act of Congress approved August 10, 1846. The Act entrusted direction of the Smithsonian to a body called the Establishment, composed of the President; the Vice President; the Chief Justice of the United States; the secretaries of State, War, Navy, Interior, and Agriculture; the Attorney General; and the Postmaster General. In fact, however, the Establishment last met in 1877, and control of the Smithsonian has always been exercised by its Board of Regents. The membership of the Regents consists of the Vice President and the Chief Justice of the United States; three members each of the Senate and House of Representatives; two citizens of the District of Columbia; and seven citizens of the several states, no two from the same state. (Prior to 1970 the category of Citizen Regents not residents of Washington consisted of four members). By custom the Chief Justice is Chancellor. The office was at first held by the Vice President. However, when Millard Fillmore succeeded to the presidency on the death of Zachary Taylor in 1851, Chief Justice Roger Brooke Taney was chosen in his stead. The office has always been filled by the Chief Justice since that time.

The Regents of the Smithsonian have included distinguished Americans from many walks of life. Ex officio members (Vice President) have been: Spiro T. Agnew, Chester A. Arthur, Allen W. Barkley, John C. Breckenridge, George Bush, Schuyler Colfax, Calvin Coolidge, Charles Curtis, George M. Dallas, Charles G. Dawes, Charles W. Fairbanks, Millard Fillmore, Gerald R. Ford, John N. Garner, Hannibal Hamlin, Thomas A. Hendricks, Garret A. Hobart, Hubert H. Humphrey, Andrew Johnson, Lyndon B. Johnson, William R. King, Thomas R. Marshall, Walter F. Mondale, Levi P. Morton, Richard M. Nixon, Nelson A. Rockefeller, Theodore Roosevelt, James S. Sherman, Adlai E. Stevenson, Harry S. Truman, Henry A. Wallace, William A. Wheeler, Henry Wilson.

Ex officio members (Chief Justice) have been: Roger B. Taney, Salmon P. Chase, Nathan Clifford, Morrison R. Waite, Samuel F. Miller, Melville W. Fuller, Edward D. White, William Howard Taft, Charles Evans Hughes, Harlan F. Stone, Fred M. Vinson, Earl Warren, Warren E. Burger.

Regents on the part of the Senate have been: Clinton P. Anderson, Newton Booth, Sidney Breese, Lewis Cass, Robert Milledge Charlton, Bennet Champ Clark, Francis M. Cockrell, Shelby Moore Cullom, Garrett Davis, Jefferson Davis, George Franklin Edmunds, George Evans, Edwin J. Garn, Walter F. George, Barry Goldwater, George Gray, Hannibal Hamlin, Nathaniel Peter Hill, George Frisbie Hoar, Henry French Hollis, Henry M. Jackson, William Lindsay, Henry Cabot Lodge, Medill McCormick, James Murray Mason, Samuel Bell Maxey, Robert B. Morgan, Frank E. Moss, Claiborne Pell, George Wharton Pepper, David A. Reed, Leverett Saltonstall, Hugh Scott, Alexander H. Smith, Robert A. Taft, Lyman Trumbull, Wallace H. White, Jr., Robert Enoch Withers.

Regents on the part of the House of Representatives have included: Edward P. Boland, Frank T. Bow, William Campbell Breckenridge, Overton Brooks, Benjamin Butterworth, Clarence Cannon, Lucius Cartrell, Hiester Clymer, William Colcock, William P. Cole, Jr., Maurice Connolly, Silvio O. Conte, Edward E. Cox, Edward H. Crump, John Dalzell, Nathaniel Deering, Hugh A. Dinsmore, William English, John Farnsworth, Scott Ferris, Graham Fitch, James Garfield, Charles L. Gifford, T. Alan Goldsborough, Frank L. Greene, Gerry Hazleton, Benjamin Hill, Henry Hilliard, Ebenezer Hoar, William Hough, William M. Howard, Albert Johnson, Leroy Johnson, Joseph Johnston, Michael Kirwan, James T. Lloyd, Robert Luce, Robert McClelland, Samuel K. McConnell, Jr., George H. Mahon, George McCrary, Edward McPherson, James R. Mann, George Perkins Marsh, Norman Y. Mineta, A. J. Monteague, R. Walton Moore, Walter H. Newton, Robert Dale Owen, James Patterson, William Phelps, Luke Poland, John Van Schaick Lansing Pruyn, B. Carroll Reece, Ernest W. Roberts, Otho Robards Singleton, Frank Thompson, Jr., John M. Vorys, Hiram Warner, Joseph Wheeler.

Citizen Regents have been: David C. Acheson, Louis Agassiz, James B. Angell, Anne L. Armstrong, William Backhouse Astor, J. Paul Austin, Alexander Dallas Bache, George Edmund Badger, George Bancroft, Alexander Graham Bell, James Gabriel Berrett, John McPherson Berrien, Robert W. Bingham, Sayles Jenks Bowen, William G. Bowen, Robert S. Brookings, John Nicholas Brown, William A. M. Burden, Vannevar Bush, Charles F. Choate, Jr., Rufus Choate, Arthur H. Compton, Henry David Cooke, Henry Coppee, Samuel Sullivan Cox, Edward H. Crump, James Dwight Dana, Harvey N. Davis, William Lewis Dayton, Everette Lee Degolyer, Richard Delafield, Frederic A. Delano, Charles Devens, Matthew Gault Emery, Cornelius Conway Felton, Robert V. Fleming, Murray Gell-Mann, Robert F. Goheen, Asa Gray, George Gray, Crawford Hallock Greenwalt, Nancy Hanks, Caryl Parker Haskins, Gideon Hawley, John B. Henderson, John B. Henderson, Jr., A. Leon Higginbotham, Jr., Gardner Greene Hubbard, Charles Evans Hughes, Carlisle H. Humelsine, Jerome C. Hunsaker, William Preston Johnston, Irwin B. Laughlin, Walter Lenox, Augustus P. Loring, John Maclean, William Beans Magruder, John Walker Maury, Montgomery Cunningham Meigs, John C. Merriam, R. Walton Moore, Roland S. Morris, Dwight W. Morrow, Richard Olney, Peter Parker, Noah Porter, William Campbell Preston, Owen Josephus Roberts, Richard Rush, William Winston Seaton, Alexander Roby Shepherd, William Tecumseh Sherman, Otho Robards Singleton, Joseph Gilbert Totten, John Thomas Towers, Frederic C. Walcott, Richard Wallach, Thomas J. Watson, Jr., James E. Webb, James Clarke Welling, Andrew Dickson White, Henry White, Theodore Dwight Woolsey.
Topic:
Museums -- Administration  Search this
Museum trustees  Search this
Genre/Form:
Manuscripts
Citation:
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 1, Smithsonian Institution, Board of Regents, Minutes
Identifier:
Record Unit 1
See more items in:
Minutes
Archival Repository:
Smithsonian Institution Archives
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-sia-faru0001
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  • View Minutes digital asset number 2
  • View Minutes digital asset number 3
  • View Minutes digital asset number 4
  • View Minutes digital asset number 5
  • View Minutes digital asset number 6
  • View Minutes digital asset number 7
  • View Minutes digital asset number 8
  • View Minutes digital asset number 9
  • View Minutes digital asset number 10

James Smithson Collection

Extent:
5.37 cu. ft. (8 document boxes) (2 half document boxes) (1 16x20 box) (3 oversize folders)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Black-and-white photographs
Serials (publications)
Maps
Drawings
Clippings
Books
Illustrations
Manuscripts
Plates (illustrations)
Art objects
Date:
1796-1951, circa 1974, 1981-1983
Descriptive Entry:
The James Smithson Collection lacks a great deal of his original papers. Richard Rush brought Smithson's personal effects to the United States in 1838, along with the proceeds from his estate. A fire in the Smithsonian building in 1865 destroyed many of the manuscripts originally acquired by the Institution. Correspondence among individuals seeking information on his life constitutes the majority of the collection, but some personal documents remain. These include some of his scientific papers and research notes, correspondence with friends and fellow scholars, and a handwritten draft of his will, all found in Series 1. Photographic copies of images of Smithson, Henry James Hungerford, documents, places, and people involved with some aspect of the Smithsonian are included as well. These appear in all of the six series.

Series 2 contains documents related to securing the Smithson bequest, establishing the Smithsonian Institution, and claims on the estate by would-be heirs. Series 3 consists of research materials on Smithson's life and lineage. Congress debated the purpose for the Smithsonian Institution for over a decade. Debates, bills, amendments, and letters show the questions and opinions surrounding what Smithson meant by "the increase and diffusion of knowledge . . ." Series 2-3 include correspondence, illustrations, charts, books, and letters concerning Smithson's maternal and paternal genealogies which help piece together his family history. Controversy surrounded one particular branch of Smithson's family, the de la Batuts, after the establishment of the Smithsonian Institution.

Series 4 includes information on the steps taken to move Smithson's remains to America. Newspaper clippings about the transfer of Smithson's remains and tomb to America mark a final chapter in the collection. Photographs, letters, and telegrams follow the story from start to finish, and involve men like Samuel P. Langley, Alexander Graham Bell, Richard Rathbun, William Henry Bishop, and Gilbert H. Grosvenor. Series 5 consists of photographs and liknesses of James Smithson, his relatives, and places and objects related to him. It includes a plaster cast and steel plate engravings of Smithson.

William J. Rhees, Joseph Henry, Spencer F. Baird, Samuel P. Langley, S. Dillon Ripley, and others involved with the Smithsonian Institution fervently sought information on Smithson's life for a variety of books, pamphlets, and articles. Circulars and letters from the 1870s and 1880s show the caliber of their search, but unfortunately very few facts surfaced on the founder of the Institution. This correspondence is scattered throughout the collection, but the actual publications which emerged on Smithson and the Smithsonian's beginnings are included in Series 6.
Historical Note:
The birth of James Smithson, founder of the Smithsonian Institution, is thought to be during the year 1765. Born in France, he became a naturalized British citizen around the age of ten. The illegitimate son of Elizabeth Hungerford Keate Macie and Hugh Smithson, 1st Duke of Northumberland, he changed his name as well as his citizenship. After his parents' death, he became known as James Smithson rather than James Macie. On May 7, 1782, he enrolled in Pembroke College, Oxford, and graduated four years later. The natural sciences sparked his interest, and he established a solid reputation as a chemist and mineralogist, despite the lack of quality information available on these topics in the late 1700s. He realized this and worked diligently to collect mineral and ore samples from European countries. Excerpts from his notes show that his excursions often forced him to brave the elements and do without the monetary comforts of his parents. Smithson, although a wealthy man, determined to make a name for himself among scientists without depending upon his heritage. He kept accurate accounts of his experiments and collections and earned the respect of his peers. When the Royal Society of London recognized his scientific abilities and accepted his membership on April 26, 1787, only a year after he graduated from college, he knew his quest and respect for knowledge would yield even greater things. The Society became an outlet for publishing many of his papers, which covered a diverse range of scientific topics, as well as a meeting place for fellow intellectuals like Cavendish, Lavoisier, Arago, Banks, and Fabroni.

James Smithson wrote his Last Will and Testament with the same exactness found in his research notes. He drafted it in 1826 in London, only three years before he died. He died on June 27, 1829, in Genoa, Italy, where he was buried in a British Cemetery. The will entailed his estate to his nephew, Henry James Hungerford, and stated that if his nephew died without an heir the money would go "to the United States of America, to found at Washington, under the name of the Smithsonian Institution, an establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge . . ."

In 1835 when Henry James Hungerford died without an heir, his mother, Mary Ann de la Batut, claimed her right to the Smithson estate, due to her previous marriage to Colonel Henry Louis Dickinson, half-brother of James Smithson and father of Henry James Hungerford. The British Courts allotted her an annual allowance until her death in 1861. Marie de la Batut's children from her second marriage had no blood or legal relationship to James Smithson; however, they joined with their spouses and children and persisted over the next few decades to claim various rights to the Smithson estate. George Henry, Emma Kirby, Marie, Charles, and Maurice all contacted the Smithsonian Institution with stories, genealogies, and bargains attempting to convince the Smithsonian administration of their need for and right to the money.

Aaron Vail, charges d'affaires of the United States at London, informed the United States of its right to the Smithson bequest after Hungerford's death. President Andrew Jackson brought the situation before Congress on December 17, 1835, and the government reacted with skepticism. The hesitancy lasted for ten years as Congress contemplated Smithson's motivation for willing such a large sum to a country he never visited. Some considered the bequest "a cheap way of conferring immortality," while others were reluctant to accept such a gift from a foreigner. (Rhees, 1880)

John Quincy Adams liked the idea of a Smithsonian Institution, however, and gathered congressional support for it during the spring of 1836. July 1, 1836, President Jackson commissioned Richard Rush to represent the United State's claim to Smithson's bequest in England. Rush acquired the money, converted it to gold (over $500,000), and brought it to America. Debates ensued and the U. S. Treasury invested the money in Arkansas State Bonds. This investment disturbed John Quincy Adams. Despite their low interest rate, he realized the bonds were untouchable until 1860. Adams spent the last nine months of 1841 trying to access the money. Upon hearing Adams' complaint President John Tyler took action and forced the Treasury to provide the original amount of the bequest plus the appropriate interest on the bonds. In 1846 a final bill passed for the establishment of the Smithsonian Institution.

Another issue began to surface in 1891 when Samuel P. Langley invested in Italian rentes (bonds) for the care of Smithson's grave site in Genoa, Italy. On November 24, 1900, a member of the Committee of the British Burial Ground Association of Genoa informed Langley of a possible need to remove Smithson's remains from the cemetery due to quarrying in the area. William Henry Bishop, U. S. Consul at Genoa, confirmed the impending destruction of the cemetery and offered his assistance along with cost estimates for the transfer of Smithson's remains to the United States. Dr. Alexander Graham Bell, a Regent of the Smithsonian, agreed to accompany the remains from Italy to America as long as the act coincided with Italian and British Law. Dr. Bell and his wife arrived with the remains in Hoboken, New Jersey, on the "Princess Irene" on January 19, 1904. The U. S. S. "Dolphin" then carried the remains to Washington, D.C., where a ceremony in the Main Hall of the Smithsonian Institution Building saluted the founder. Smithson's original tomb was transferred to America later that same year, and the Smithson Mortuary Chapel was constructed in the Smithsonian Institution Building.
Chronology:
1765 -- James Macie was born in France

1775 -- Naturalized British Citizen

1782 -- Enrolled in Pembroke College, Oxford

1786 -- Graduated from Pembroke College, Oxford

1787 -- Member Royal Society

1794 -- Dorothy Percy willed 3,000 pounds to James Macie (believed to be her half bother)

1808 -- Smithson was a prisoner of war in Hamburg and wrote to Sir Joseph Banks for help

1818 -- "A Few Facts Relative to the Colouring Matters of some Vegetables," Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London

1825 -- "A Method of Fixing Crayon Colors," Annals of Philosophy

1826 -- "On a Balance for Weighing Globules of Metals," The Technical Repository

1826 -- Original draft of Smithson's will

1829 -- Smithson's death in Genoa, Italy

1835 -- Death of Henry James Hungerford (Smithson's nephew)

1835 -- U. S. notified of Smithson's bequest

1835 -- Mary Ann de la Batut (Henry James Hungerford's mother) claimed her right to Smithson's estate

1836 -- Act of Congress accepted Smithson bequest

1838 -- British Chancery Court award Smithson Estate to the United States

1836-1842 -- Congressional debates over what to do with Smithson's bequest

1844 -- "A Memoir on the Scientific Character and Researches of James Smithson," by Walter R. Johnson

1844-1846 -- Congressional Bills and Amendments introduced establishing and defining divisions within the Smithsonian

1845 -- Samuel S. Cox's article for "Brothers" literary society addressed the issue of Smithson's bequest establishing a library or a university

1846 -- Act of Congress established Smithsonian Institution

1859 -- "An Account of the Smithsonian Institution," by William J. Rhees

1865 -- Fire at Smithsonian destroyed most of Smithson's papers

1877-1879 -- George Henry de la Batut claimed his right to the Smithson estate

1878 -- "On the Works and Character of James Smithson," by J. R. McD. Irby

1879 -- "The Scientific Writings of James Smithson," by William J. Rhees

1880 -- "James Smithson and His Bequest," by William J. Rhees

1881 -- "Visitor's Guide to the Smithsonian Institution," by William J. Rhees

1881 -- Emma Kirby de la Batut claimed her right to the Smithson estate

1891 -- Samuel P. Langley allotted money for the care of Smithson's tomb in Genoa, Italy

1892 -- Marie (Mary Ann) de la Batut claimed her right to the Smithson estate (wife of George Henry)

1893 -- Charles and Maurice de la Batut claimed their rights to the Smithson estate

1895 -- Langley placed bronze tablets on Smithson's tomb in Genoa, recognizing him as founder of the Smithsonian Institution

1901 -- "Life of Smithson," by Samuel P. Langley

1903 -- Gilbert H. Grosvenor published newspaper articles advocating the transfer of Smithson's remains to America, due to destruction of cemetery in Genoa

1904 -- Alexander Graham Bell accompanied Smithson's remains to U.S. on the "Princess Irene"

1904 -- "The Removal of the Remains of James Smithson," by Samuel P. Langley

1904 -- Smithson Tomb moved from Italy to U. S.

1905 -- Erection of Smithson Mortuary Chapel on SI grounds
Topic:
Wills  Search this
Genre/Form:
Black-and-white photographs
Serials (publications)
Maps
Drawings
Clippings
Books
Illustrations
Manuscripts
Plates (illustrations)
Art objects
Citation:
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 7000, James Smithson Collection
Identifier:
Record Unit 7000
See more items in:
James Smithson Collection
Archival Repository:
Smithsonian Institution Archives
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-sia-faru7000

Records

Extent:
58.76 cu. ft. (39 record storage boxes) (9 document boxes) (26 tall document boxes) (9 microfilm reels)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Black-and-white photographs
Clippings
Books
Manuscripts
Letterpress copybooks
Date:
1851-1982 and undated
Introduction:
The Archives would like to thank the staff of the Division of Mollusks for their cooperation in transferring the records to the Archives. We especially appreciate the help of Clyde Roper, Richard Houbrick, and Michael Sweeney.
Descriptive Entry:
This collection provides comprehensive documentation of the operation and activities of the Division of Mollusks from its establishment in 1880 until 1982. A small amount of records predate the formal creation of the Division. The collection is also a major source of information on the professional careers of William H. Dall, Paul Bartsch, Charles Torrey Simpson, Robert Edwards Carter Stearns, Harald A. Rehder, Joseph P. E. Morrison, Joseph Rosewater, and Clyde F. E. Roper.

The majority of the collection consists of a large file of incoming and outgoing correspondence (Series 1) that documents all aspects of the Division's work. The correspondence provides a wealth of information for researchers interested in the history of malacology during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Many of the foremost workers in the field corresponded with the staff of the Division. Henry A. Pilsbry, William J. Clench, S. Stillman Berry, William G. Binney, Edward S. Morse, Carlos de la Torre, Addison E. Verrill, and Joshua L. Bailey are just a few of the outstanding malacologists represented by letters. The correspondence is also helpful in illustrating the early history and activities of the American Malacological Union, the development of the Smithsonian collection of mollusks, and everyday activities of the Division. Divisional correspondence is also housed in two other series. Series 2 contains letters exchanged between the Division and the Smithsonian Institution, United States National Museum, and various United States government agencies. This correspondence documents the administration of the Division by its parent organizations, as well as cooperative efforts with other government bureaus to increase and care for the national collection of mollusks. Also included are many letters relating to William H. Dall's official duties as a paleontologist with the United States Geological Survey. Series 3 consists of bound letterpress books containing copies of outgoing letters, 1885-1937.

A large series of specimen related records includes catalogues of individual collections; report books in which specimen identifications were recorded; invoices; requisitions; and log books which contain notations on everyday activities of the Division. The remainder of the collection consists of annual reports, 1884-1969, and miscellaneous administrative records.

For additional records relating to the history of the Division of Mollusks, researchers should consult the William H. Dall Papers (Record Unit 7073), the Paul Bartsch Papers (Record Unit 7089), and the Harald A. Rehder Interviews (Record Unit 9519).
Historical Note:
The origin of the mollusk collections under the care of the Smithsonian Institution predates the formal establishment of the Department of Mollusks in 1880. Collections of shells began arriving at the Institution from many of the early exploring expeditions conducted during the 1840s and 1850s. Voluntary assistance in arranging and describing the collections was provided by many eminent invertebrate zoologists including Augustus Addison Gould, Philip Pearsall Carpenter, Isaac Lea, William Greene Binney, William Stimpson, and Thomas Bland.

The Department of Mollusks was created as an administrative unit of the United States National Museum (USNM) in 1880. As a result of an administrative reorganization of the USNM in 1897, the name was changed to the Division of Mollusks. In 1914, the Division was merged with the Division of Marine Invertebrates under the latter title. In 1921, the Division of Mollusks regained independent status. At that time the coral and helminthological collections were turned over to the Division's care.

William H. Dall's association with the Smithsonian began in 1865 when he came under the influence of Spencer F. Baird while preparing for his role on the Western Union Telegraph Expedition. After he returned from Alaska in 1868, Dall was given space in the Smithsonian Building to arrange his collections and prepare his scientific reports. While Dall spent the majority of his career as a paleontologist with the United States Geological Survey, he also served as Honorary Curator of the Division of Mollusks from 1880 until his death in 1927. Dall was the author of over 1,600 scientific papers on both recent and fossil mollusks.

Paul Bartsch, an authority on West Indian land shells, was appointed Aid in 1896. He served as Assistant Curator, 1906-1916, and Curator, 1916-1946. After his retirement he was an Associate in Zoology until his death in 1960. Harald A. Rehder joined the staff in 1932 as Senior Scientific Aid. He was promoted to Assistant Curator, 1934-1942; Associate Curator, 1942-1946; Curator, 1946-1965; and Senior Zoologist, 1965-1980. Rehder specialized in the study of the marine mollusks of the Indo-Pacific region. He maintained the title of Zoologist Emeritus until his death in 1996.

Other staff members of the Division of Mollusks have included Robert Edwards Carter Stearns, Assistant Curator, 1884-1893, and Associate in Zoology, 1894-1909; Charles Torrey Simpson, Aid, 1889-1902; William B. Marshall, Aid, 1895-1896, 1903-1914, and Assistant Curator, 1914-1934; Horace G. Richards, Assistant Curator, 1932; Joseph P. E. Morrison, Senior Scientific Aid, 1934-1942, Assistant Curator, 1942-1946, and Associate Curator, 1946-1974; R. Tucker Abbott, Assistant Curator, 1946-1949, and Associate Curator, 1949-1954; Joseph Rosewater, Associate Curator, 1961-1969, and Curator, 1969-1985; Clyde F. E. Roper, Associate Curator, 1966-1972, and Curator, 1972 - ; Richard S. Houbrick, Associate Curator, 1977-1978, and Curator, 1978 - ; and Arthur H. Clarke, Associate Curator, 1977-1980.
Topic:
Mollusks  Search this
Marine invertebrates  Search this
Invertebrates  Search this
Zoologists  Search this
Zoology  Search this
Genre/Form:
Black-and-white photographs
Clippings
Books
Manuscripts
Letterpress copybooks
Citation:
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 73, National Museum of Natural History, Division of Mollusks, Records
Identifier:
Record Unit 73
See more items in:
Records
Archival Repository:
Smithsonian Institution Archives
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-sia-faru0073

National Museum Building Construction Records

Extent:
6.1 cu. ft. (11 document boxes) (4 3x5 boxes)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Black-and-white photographs
Manuscripts
Date:
1890, 1901-1916, 1923
Descriptive Entry:
These records, together with record units 80, 81, and 187 contain full documentation of construction of the 1911 National Museum Building, from internal planning and contracts to construction details and costs. Rathbun prepared a history of the museum construction, which was published as A Descriptive Account of the Building Recently Erected for the Departments of Natural History of the United States National Museum. United States National Museum Bulletin 80, Washington, 1913.
Historical Note:
In 1903 Congress authorized the Board of Regents to begin a new museum building, construction to be under the direction of Bernard R. Green, Superintendent of Buildings and Grounds of the Library of Congress. Construction began in June 1904 and ended in 1911. Richard Rathbun, Assistant Secretary, spent much of his time from 1901 to 1911 planning and supervising construction of the new building, including extensive consultation with foreign and domestic museum experts.
Topic:
Smithsonian buildings  Search this
Museums -- Administration  Search this
Architectural design  Search this
Buildings -- Maintenance  Search this
Buildings -- Repair and reconstruction  Search this
Museum buildings  Search this
Actions and defenses  Search this
Genre/Form:
Black-and-white photographs
Manuscripts
Citation:
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 79, Smithsonian Institution, Assistant Secretary in charge of the United States National Museum, National Museum Building Construction Records
Identifier:
Record Unit 79
See more items in:
National Museum Building Construction Records
Archival Repository:
Smithsonian Institution Archives
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-sia-faru0079

South Facade, Smithsonian Institution Building

Author:
Renwick, James 1818-1895  Search this
Subject:
Moore, H. C  Search this
Renwick, James 1818-1895  Search this
Townsend, Louis  Search this
Smithsonian Institution Building (Washington, D.C.)  Search this
Smithsonian Institution Building South Front  Search this
Physical description:
Color: Color; Size: 10w x 8h; Type of Image: Architectural; Medium: Paper with watercolor
Type:
Photographic print
Architecture
Date:
c. 1848
Topic:
Architectural drawing  Search this
Architecture--Design and plans  Search this
Painting  Search this
SI, Early History  Search this
Watercolor painting  Search this
Standard number:
SIA_000092_S19_I020.tif and MN-2535 or MNH2535
Restrictions & Rights:
No restrictions
Data Source:
Smithsonian Archives - History Div
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sic_10691

Smithsonian Building, North Facade - Color Rendering

Author:
Renwick, James 1818-1895  Search this
Subject:
Renwick, James 1818-1895  Search this
Moore, H. C  Search this
Townsend, Louis  Search this
Office of Architectural History and Historic Preservation (OAHHP)  Search this
Smithsonian Institution Building (Washington, D.C.)  Search this
Smithsonian Institution Press  Search this
Physical description:
Color: Color; Size: 10 x 8" Type of Image: Architectural Drawing; Medium: paper with watercolor
Type:
Painting
Architectural drawings
Date:
1848
Topic:
Architecture--Design and plans  Search this
Artists  Search this
North front  Search this
Painting  Search this
SI, Early History  Search this
Standard number:
SIA_000092_S19_I019.tif and MNH-2535A
Data Source:
Smithsonian Archives - History Div
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sic_5868

13. Salamanca Tower Musician, August 2, 1966, Smithsonian Building

Container:
Box 48 of 75
Type:
Archival materials
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 485, National Museum of American History. Division of Musical History, Records
See more items in:
Records
Records / Box 48
Archival Repository:
Smithsonian Institution Archives
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-sia-faru0485-refidd1e19858

SI Buildings Management [1958-1978]

Container:
Box 20 of 23
Type:
Archival materials
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Accession 03-018, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Central Files
See more items in:
Central Files
Central Files / Box 20
Archival Repository:
Smithsonian Institution Archives
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-sia-fa03-018-refidd1e6375

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