Wallace Collection of the wealthiest families in Europe. They owned large properties in England, Wales and Ireland, and increased their wealth through successful marriages. Politically of lesser importance, the 3rd and 4th Marquess and Sir Richard Wallace became leading art collectors of their time. The Wallace Collection, comprising about 5,500 works of art, was bequeathed to the British nation by Lady Wallace in 1897. The state then decided to buy Hertford House to display the collection and it was opened as a museum in 1900. As a museum the Wallace Collection's main strength is perhaps its extraordinary array of 18th-century French art:
Alastair Gordon, 6th Marquess of Aberdeen and Temair frequently wrote letters and columns on art criticism and other subjects for newspapers. However, he was best known for magazine and other pieces describing his experiences in the brothels of Knightsbridge and Beirut, an activity regarded by his wife with "tolerant amusement." Aberdeen left two daughters and a son: Alastair Gordon, 6th Marquess of Aberdeen and Temair Alastair Ninian John Gordon, 6th Marquess of Aberdeen and Temair (20 July 1920 – 19 August 2002) was a botanical artist and art critic who succeeded to a peerage later in life. Gordon was the youngest of five children and the fourth son