Smithsonian Institution Building, West Wing, c 1903

Description: Lower Invertebrates exhibit in the West Wing of the Smithsonian Institution Building (SIB), 1903. Models of a giant squid and an octopus, designed for the Tennessee Exposition of 1897, hang from the ceiling over the exhibit cases. These painted plaster casts were considered art objects by the head curator of the Department of Biology, but large specimens were difficult to preserve and display. The exhibit cases contain coral and other objects...Creator/Photographer: Unidentified photographer..Medium: Black and white photographic print..Dimensions: 7 1/2 in x 9 1/4 in..Date: 1903..Repository: Smithsonian Institution Archives ..Accession number: 16876