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!