Page:The museum, (Jackson, Marget Talbot, 1917).djvu/209

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THE PREPARATION OF OBJECTS
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the process of hanging is a long one. If, on the other hand, the walls are of wood, the prints are quickly hung, but also quickly taken down, which increases the danger of theft. Just how serious this danger is, is a matter to be considered by the individual museum director. There are two alternatives: wall cases and desk cases. Wall cases should be made shallow, with doors carefully planned so that the space enclosed by the wooden frame of the glass shall be adapted to the sizes of the mounts. The frame itself should be as small as possible. (In the Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge, an excellent double hinge is used which reduces to a minimum the space occupied by the framework of the glass doors.) These cases must be neither too high nor too low. They may occupy such space on the walls as is required to show three rows of the 14×18 size prints. A storage cabinet for prints of this small size may be provided underneath, if desired, but should not interfere with the visitor's ease in getting close to the prints in the case, for a print is made to be examined closely and does not "carry" as does a painting. Desk cases may also be arranged in connection with storage cases, and are very valuable for showing smaller prints, as it is easy for the visitor to get quite close to them. Thumb tacks or push pins are used for holding