John Varden (c. 1790–1865) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

collector of

antiquities Antiquities are objects from antiquity, especially the civilizations of the Mediterranean: the Classical antiquity of Greece and Rome, Ancient Egypt and the other Ancient Near Eastern cultures. Artifacts from earlier periods such as the Meso ...

and

museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these ...

pieces in the

Washington D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...

area. He opened a commercial museum called the "Washington Museum of Curiosities" but was forced out of business by the free

National Institute National Institute may refer to: * National Institute on Aging, United States (U.S.) * National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. * National Institute of Mental Health, U.S. * Belgranian National Institute, Argentina * San Martín National Ins ...

which started in 1840. He sold his collection to the National Institute, where he became an assistant

curator A curator (from la, cura, meaning "to take care") is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the parti ...

. He worked at the Smithsonian from 1858 until his death in 1865. His collections formed the core of the Smithsonian's museum.

References

1790s births 1865 deaths American antiquarians 19th-century antiquarians Smithsonian Institution people {{US-bio-stub