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Committee questions lack of Lewis and Clark specimens and natural-history displays
Summary
Members asked why the museum lacks prominent displays about the species and natural phenomena documented by Lewis and Clark; the witness said such material is minimal or missing and that Smithson's donation was vague about natural-science collections.
Committee questioning focused on whether the National Museum of American History displays the new animals, plants and natural phenomena catalogued by Lewis and Clark. The committee member said Smithson's original donation was vague about scope and asked why exploration-era natural-history material is not prominently displayed; Doctor Anderson replied that, to her knowledge, such items are "not to my knowledge" and that Lewis and Clark material is limited to "one wall, partial wall."
The member said the museum should include those discoveries because they were first documented for Eastern U.S. audiences by the expedition. Doctor Anderson's testimony acknowledged the limited representation on the floor plan and did not report any museum-led plan to relocate or expand natural-history holdings in response to the questions. No museum curator or collections manager responded on the record.
