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:
Firestone Collection of Canadian Art key years. The Firestone Collection of Canadian Art represents art collected from the 1950s, through until 1985. Before being relocated to the Ottawa Art Gallery, the Firestone Art Collection was on display in the Firestone home and viewed by the public during tours led by O. J. Firestone. Among the conditions of the donation of the collection to the Ontario Heritage Foundation was that the collection was to be on display and accessible to the public in the Ottawa area. The Firestone Collection of Canadian Art has been exhibited and re-interpreted in many ways since its arrival at the Ottawa