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5 Total pages
3 Contributing members
USNM CURATORS ANNUAL REPORTS -- Department of Oriental Antiquities: Annual Report, 1890-91
Since the founding of the Smithsonian in 1846, what was then the U.S. National Museum collaborated with other museums across the globe on collecting specimen, sharing research, and planning exhibitions. What was the Smithsonian collaborating on the Louvre with in 1890? Find out with this 1890-91 annual curator’s report from the Department of Oriental Antiquities. Among other things, the report details collaboration among museum practitioners, including with the Louvre.
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19 Total pages
4 Contributing members
USNM CURATORS ANNUAL REPORTS -- Department of Oriental Antiquities: Annual Report, 1893-94
The Rosetta Stone, created in Egypt in 196 B.C., is one of the most famous archaeological discoveries in the world and has been on public display at the British Museum since 1802. In the 1890s, a cast of the Rosetta Stone was made and sent to the Smithsonian—what was it used for? Learn more with this 1893-94 annual curator’s report from the Department of Oriental Antiquities. The report takes note of the copy’s arrival, among other goings on in the department. Help us transcribe this look into Smithsonian history!
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14 Total pages
9 Contributing members
USNM CURATORS ANNUAL REPORTS -- Department of Oriental Antiquities: Annual Report, 1894-95
If you were to visit the Smithsonian’s United States National Museum in 1894, what would you find? What would the exhibits look like? What would be on display? Get a glimpse into the Smithsonian’s past with this 1894-95 curator’s report from the Department of Oriental Antiquities. In the report, the curator writes about the department’s collections on display. Read more and help transcribe!
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17 Total pages
10 Contributing members
USNM CURATORS ANNUAL REPORTS -- Department of Oriental Antiquities: Annual Report, 1895-96
Musical instruments, coins, and gems. What do these objects have in common? They were all on display as part of the United States National Museum’s Department of Oriental Antiquities collection! Read more about the department’s work, and what else was on display at the Smithsonian, in this 1895-96 annual curator’s report. Then, join other digital volunteers in transcribing this unique look into the Smithsonian’s past!
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21 Total pages
12 Contributing members
USNM CURATORS ANNUAL REPORTS -- Department of Oriental Antiquities: Annual Report, 1896-97
Since the founding of the Smithsonian in 1846, collaboration with other learning institutions on research and collecting has been key. In 1896, that collaboration went across the globe, to Shanghai. What collections were being exchanged between the Smithsonian and St. John’s College in China? Find out with this 1896-97 annual curator’s report from the Department of Oriental Antiquities. Among other things, the report details collections exchanges among other institutions worldwide.
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40 Total pages
9 Contributing members
USNM CURATORS ANNUAL REPORTS -- Department of Prehistoric Anthropology: Annual Report, 1885
The Smithsonian’s Department of Prehistoric Anthropology was collecting artifacts from across the country (and worldwide!) in 1885—what might have been added to the collection from your hometown? Find out with the department’s annual curator’s report and join other volunteers in transcribing this unique piece of Smithsonian history!
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41 Total pages
10 Contributing members
USNM CURATORS ANNUAL REPORTS -- Department of Prehistoric Anthropology: Annual Report, 1889-90
How many specimens would you guess the Smithsonian’s Prehistoric Anthropology Department added to its catalogue in 1889-90? In just October, they accessioned 1,759 new pieces! Get the details—and help transcribe—a busy year in the Department of Prehistoric Anthropology with this annual curator’s report.
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119 Total pages
31 Contributing members
USNM CURATORS ANNUAL REPORTS -- Department of Prehistoric Anthropology: Annual Report, 1890-91
In the 1890-91 Annual Report of the Smithsonian’s Department of Prehistoric Anthropology, the division’s curator wrote: “But the amount of loss to science and to our possible knowledge of prehistoric people is irreparable. This loss is not to be calculated by any monetary standard.” What was the worldwide conservation issue that the curatorial staff at the Smithsonian wanted to help address? Find out with this set of annual curator’s report, documenting the first 50 years of the Smithsonian and its collections!
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25 Total pages
11 Contributing members
USNM CURATORS ANNUAL REPORTS -- Department of Prehistoric Anthropology: Annual Report, 1892-93
What did the “usual work of the office” entail for the United States National Museum’s Department of Prehistoric Anthropology? That’s how the department’s curator Thomas Wilson chose to describe his work in 1892-93—but the office seems far from usual! Get details into how the department handled acquisitions, classified specimen, and prepared for the Exposition Historico-Americano in Madrid, in this set of annual curator’s reports—then help transcribe!
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34 Total pages
14 Contributing members
USNM CURATORS ANNUAL REPORTS -- Department of Prehistoric Anthropology: Annual Report, 1893-94
If you visited the United States National Museum in 1893, what types of objects would you see on display? What would an exhibit hall look like? Find out for yourself with the Department of Prehistoric Anthropology curator’s annual report from 1893-94! Among other things, the report details how collection objects and photographs were displayed in the museum. Then, help transcribe this unique look into the history of the Smithsonian!
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26 Total pages
16 Contributing members
USNM CURATORS ANNUAL REPORTS -- Department of Prehistoric Anthropology: Annual Report, 1894-95
Today, taking a school field trip to the Smithsonian is an experience kids across the country look forward to every year—the same was true over 120 years ago! See what school groups visited the Smithsonian (then the US National Museum) and got a tour from the Department of Prehistoric Anthropology’s curator in this annual report from 1894-95. Learn more about other tours and public programs the Smithsonian had planned for the year, and join in on transcribing this report!
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85 Total pages
18 Contributing members
USNM CURATORS ANNUAL REPORTS -- Department of Prehistoric Anthropology: Annual Report, 1895-97
Did you know that, thousands of years ago, caverns formed in what is now central Ohio? These caverns—over 100 feet deep in parts—have crystal formations dating back to 200,000 years ago. The curator of the Smithsonian’s Department of Prehistoric Anthropology, Thomas Wilson, spent the Fourth of July, 1895 exploring those caverns. Read Wilson’s report of his cavern expedition, among other happenings from the department, in this set of curator’s notes from 1895-97.
