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USNM Curators Annual Reports - Department of Fishes: 1895-1896
In the early years of the United States National Museum, specimens and collection objects were acquired at a remarkable rate. Now almost twenty years later, the Department of Fishes was experiencing a bit of a slow down, as curator Barton A. Bean notes in the curators annual report to Assistant Secretary Dr. G. Brown Goode. However, museum work is always a balance of activity and this report describes the highlights of the department's efforts. It is a good thing reports are submitted annually as there seems to be a discrepancy in the overall number of fish specimens in the Department's collections according to Executive Curator F. W. True. Join other volunteers in transcribing this handwritten report to increase its usefulness to future researchers.
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13 Total pages
11 Contributing members
USNM Curators Annual Reports - Department of Fishes: Annual Report, 1881
What are the best ways to care for collections? Cultural heritage institutions ask themselves this question every day and it was certainly on the mind of Smithsonian’s Department of Fishes curator Tarleton H. Bean in 1881. Bean recommended that all jars containing fish specimen be kept 70% filled with alcohol and argued that no materials leave the museum. Help the Archives transcribe these reports which discuss the problems and solutions the ichthyology department faced in the 1880s.
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164 Total pages
32 Contributing members
USNM Curators Annual Reports - Department of Fishes: Annual Report, 1882
Every year, Valentine’s Day gives us an excuse to evaluate characteristics we really value in people. If you like someone who has neat handwriting, takes meticulous, detail-orientated notes, and likes long walks to the Department of Fishes, Smithsonian curator Tarleton H. Bean would have been your match in 1882. Assist us in transcribing the curators' reports, which will give researchers a thorough glimpse into the goings on in the ichthyology department in 1882.
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42 Total pages
18 Contributing members
USNM Curators Annual Reports - Department of Fishes: Annual Report, 1883
Did a new specimen of fish from your state make its way into the Smithsonian collections in 1883? The Smithsonian Department of Fishes accessioned 108 specimens in its collections, and the highest number was 8 fishes from New York. One discovery from Long Island, New York was a never-before-seen species in the United States. Help transcribe Tarleton H. Bean’s curators' report to see if the Smithsonian acquired anything from your home state!
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31 Total pages
7 Contributing members
USNM Curators Annual Reports - Department of Fishes: Annual Report, 1884
What did you want to be when you grew up? A firefighter? A pianist? An artist who specializes in sketching fish species? In the 1884 curators’ report from the Department of Fishes, curator Tarleton H. Bean charts the number of fish drawings, totaling 117 sketches for the year, made by staff each month. Bean congratulated the museum for hiring Miss Mary M. Smith, whom he credits for many of the illustrations. Assist us in transcribing the report to give researchers a better understanding of Smithsonian employees and their work.
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51 Total pages
16 Contributing members
USNM Curators Annual Reports - Department of Fishes: Annual Report, 1885
Though there is plenty of information about collections care and new accessions in curators’ reports, information about specimens on exhibition is sometimes rare. In the 1885 report from the Department of Fishes, Tarleton H. Bean noted that there were 20,400 specimens on exhibition. He also mentions attaching descriptive labels to an exhibit in New Orleans. Aid the Archives in transcribing sources to reveal the changing ways Smithsonian curators did their work and how they organized their collections.
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58 Total pages
8 Contributing members
USNM Curators Annual Reports - Department of Fishes: Annual Report, 1885 - 1886
Rather uncharacteristically, Department of Fishes curator Tarleton H. Bean had a big (fish) bone to pick with the Smithsonian administration. Simply put, the division needed more space. According to Bean, the office space was “so small that two persons can scarcely pass in the space between the desks and the book cases” and the exhibition space was “inadequate.” Transcribe this report to explore the work the department actually accomplished amid frustrating working conditions.
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67 Total pages
14 Contributing members
USNM Curators Annual Reports - Department of Fishes: Annual Report, 1886 - 1887
From 1878 to 1905, researcher and curator Dr. Tarleton Hoffman Bean of Smithsonian’s Department of Fishes documented species of fish collected from around the world and the research performed with these collections. According to his review of reports in 1886, the United States government's deep-sea explorations to that date had yielded more new forms of fish than any other government. In 1887, he personally investigated the mackerel fishing industry's activities in the Atlantic Ocean, spending over a month at sea observing the fleet activity. The Boston Herald published three of his letters describing the experience that spring. Please help us transcribe Dr. Bean's account of the work done with the Smithsonian's Fishes collections and learn what else transpired in fiscal year 1887.
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84 Total pages
20 Contributing members
USNM Curators Annual Reports - Department of Fishes: Annual Report, 1887 - 1888
Does anyone actually enjoy moving? Fortunately, today’s museum professionals have collections management systems, which allow them to keep track of locations, inventory, conditions of objects and so much more. In 1887, long before automated systems, Curator of Fishes Tarleton H. Bean was certainly not a fan of reorganizing when he was forced to move his collections as the Arts and Industries Building underwent fire proofing. He described how the process caused “much annoyance,” as labels were destroyed, alcohol spilled out of jars, and glasses were broken. And who has time for that? Assist your fellow volunpeers in transcribing all that the department accomplished that year, despite a few setbacks.
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129 Total pages
17 Contributing members
USNM Curators Annual Reports - Department of Fishes: Principal Sources Report 1851 - 1886
This special curator’s list essentially describes a who’s who of fish collectors during the mid-to-late 19th century. As the Department of Fishes’ collections, then comprising of 100,000 specimens, continued to grow, Tarleton H. Bean recognized the need to record exactly from whom these fishes were from. Transcribe the dates and names to get a glimpse of the people, from military leaders and professors to professionals at major international museums, who Smithsonian employees worked closely with to build the ichthyology department’s collections.
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57 Total pages
13 Contributing members
USNM Curators Annual Reports - Department of Mammals, 1885
What is it like to build a collection for a new museum? What is its role when targeted hunts are threatening populations of wolf and fox? This report filed by the Department of Mammals head curator just 8 years after the United States National Museum opened its doors explores these questions amidst more administrative details. Join other volunteers in transcribing this report and gain some insight into the state of animal affairs in the late 1880's.
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98 Total pages
18 Contributing members
USNM Curators Annual Reports - Department of Mammals, 1885-1886
If you visit the National Museum of Natural History today, you might see a variety of taxidermied species on display. What creatures might you have encountered on a visit over 130 years ago? Learn what was on display at the United States National Museum with this annual curator’s report from the Department of Mammals, 1885-86. The report details the condition of the mammal collection, including what specimens were on view, and which had been added or replaced. Join other digital volunteers in transcribing this unique look into the history of the Smithsonian!
