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:
Mary Ann Beinecke Decorative Art Collection Mary Ann Beinecke Decorative Art Collection The Mary Ann Beinecke Decorative Art Collection is a research collection of more than 1200 volumes on textiles and decorative art subjects, which is held in the Library of the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute. It was assembled over the course of her career by the weaver, textile artist and author Mary Ann Beinecke. The collection contains items spanning the period from 1550 to the 1970s and holds particular strengths in costume history, handicrafts and textile design. Collection interests include numerous examples of French manufacturers’ sample books of fabrics, lace, ribbons and trims;