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.
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.
To learn more about this collection, check out the
finding aid.