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 Gallery’s permanent collection. An educational program started in 1996 called "Students Interpret the Firestone Collection of Canadian Art" gave local high school students studying visual arts an opportunity to create and display artwork inspired by the Collection. Upon arriving at the Ottawa Art Gallery the Firestone Art Collection was catalogued with files created on each artist, a resource library created to house relevant art-historical texts, and publications and promotional material circulated to other Canadian art institutions since that time. Lectures and panel discussions regarding exhibited works from the Firestone Art Collection have also drawn scholarly attention, as O.J. Firestone had