USNM CURATORS ANNUAL REPORTS -- Department of Birds: Annual and Monthly Reports 1882

In a collection as large as the Smithsonian’s, how do you begin to keep track of every object and all the information about it? This cataloguing process is one that dates back to the Smithsonian’s beginnings—and is described in detail in this 1882 annual curator’s report! The Department of Birds’ curator, ornithologist and illustrator Robert Ridgway, described the process for cataloguing the museum’s extensive collection of birds, nests, and eggs, in this report. Find out more about Ridgway’s process and help transcribe this unique piece of Smithsonian history.