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[[underlined]] Memorandum Relating to the Proposed NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART. [[/underlined]]

Washington D. C.,
July 10, 1917

Dear Mr. Rathbun:

On receiving your note asking me to take up the consideration of plans for a new National Gallery I began the work with much interest, but found myself so involved in other matters demanding my immediate attention as to make progress slow. I found also that in order to cover the ground properly I should have time to go over the literature of art museums and possibly to correspond with or visit some of the art museums of the country. Of particular importance to me is an interview with you, in which the whole matter can be gone over, thus reaching a better understanding. I trust, therefore, that you will not view these notes critically, but as the uncrystallized beginnings of a work requiring much time and thought.

It would seem necessary in the first place to consider the subject matter to be accommodated in the proposed institution. There are two great groups within the art field: (1) The fine arts proper; and (2) the industrial arts, so far as they come directly within the purview of the aesthetic. The name "Gallery of Art" would probably not be entirely appropriate for an institution covering the entire field of the aesthetic. It would seem that its exhibits should be limited to the fine arts, where "Museum of Art" would cover the entire range of the aesthetic. The question of the scope of