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2014 Annual Conference SAA/NAGARA/COSA
Repository Tour Information Form
Catalog of American Portraits, National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
(Reserved tour times are August 12 and 13, 9:00am – 5:00 PM)
Date: August 12, 2014
Time: 10:00 am to 1:00 pm (in conjunction with SAAM and AAA)
Minimum Number of Participants: NA
Maximum Number of Participants: 10 at a time, but it is an open house
Pre-registration Required? (Y/N): No
Contact Information:
Patricia Svoboda
202-633-8557; 8260
Linda Thrift
202-633-8247
Description of Tour: Informal Open House. The Catalog of American Portraits (CAP) is an active archival special collection of the National Portrait Gallery, maintaining information and images for nearly 200,000 portraits of notable American subjects or by notable American artists. Comprising 1,420 cubic feet of material, the CAP includes portrait records for nearly 3,000 public organizations and thousands of private collections across the country and abroad. Original correspondence from artists, owners, and scholars is archived, as well as photographs of works taken before damage, restoration, or loss. New research materials from NPG curators and historians are incorporated into the CAP daily.
The CAP’s web presence serves today as an international portal to American portraits. Comprising more than 100,000 portrait records, the NPG web portrait search (http://npgportraits.si.edu/) receives an average of 14,000 queries per month. Department staff answer nearly 2,000 research inquiries per year via our email address, npgrearch@si.edu. See examples of the depth of material available by visiting the Catalog of American Portraits.
Address: Located in the National Portrait Gallery offices in the Victor Building at 750 9th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20001, one block from the National Portrait Gallery/Smithsonian American Art Museum building.
Is Parking Available? (Y/N): Metered street parking and paid lot parking is available.
Public Transit Accessible? (Y/N): Yes.
Closest Metro and/or Metrobus: The Catalog of American Portraits can be reached by taking the red, yellow, or green Metro line to Gallery Place, 9th and G Street exit.
Any Additional Entrance Requirements: Two photo ids are required to sign in at the front desk. The Catalog of American Portraits is on the Concourse (C) level. Someone will be available in the lobby to guide visitors.
Additional Information: