Charleston County Public Library

The first Smithsonian collection, the European engravings of George Perkins Marsh and the role of prints in the U.S. National Museum, Helena E. Wright

eng

Includes bibliographical references (pages 255-276) and index

illustrations

index present

non fiction

The first Smithsonian collection

bibliography

888401285

Helena E. Wright

A Smithsonian contribution to knowledge

the European engravings of George Perkins Marsh and the role of prints in the U.S. National Museum

In 1849 the Smithsonian purchased the Marsh Collection of European engravings. Not only the first collection of any kind to be acquired by the new Institution, it was also the first public print collection in the nation, and it presented an important symbol of cultural authority. Through the story of the Marsh Collection, the book explores the cultural values attributed to prints in the 19th century, including their prominent role in expositions and their influence on visual culture at a time when collecting styles were moving from an individual's private contemplation of artworks to wider public venues of exposition in museums and reception by multiple audiences. The history of this first Smithsonian collection enlivens an important stage in the development of American cultural identity and in the formation of the Smithsonian as a national institution

Congressman Marsh and the formation of the Smithsonian -- A brief biography of George Perkins Marsh -- Print collecting in the Antebellum period: Marsh as collector and connoisseur -- The Marsh collection at the Smithsonian, 1849-1874 -- The reception of prints in the United States after the Civil War: Collections, exhibitions, and publications -- The Marsh collection in an expanded national museum -- The Marsh collection in the Twentieth century -- Visual culture and national identity