Journal of the History of Collections Advance Access originally published online on March 17, 2009
Journal of the History of Collections 2009 21(2):173-182; doi:10.1093/jhc/fhp009
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© The Author 2009. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.
This article appears in the following Journal of the History of Collections issue: Special Issue: The art collector-between philanthropy and self-glorification [View the issue table of contents]
‘Splendid patriotism’
Richard Wallace and the construction of the Wallace Collection
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Abstract |
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This article examines the transformation of the Wallace Collection, London, from private collection to national museum and the consecutive phases of its passage from the private to the public sphere. Set against the background of the late Victorian exhibitionary field, it argues that the collection's arrival in Britain in 1871 prompted a new era with the emphasis placed upon the collection's increased visibility and accessibility to a wider audience. It further examines the motives underlying the bequest of the Wallace Collection to the British nation and the tensions inherent in the transformation of a dynastic site into a national museum. Analysis of the methods of display and admission policies applied at the Wallace Collection also demonstrates that the museum was cast as an exemplar of high culture that materialized the collecting practices of three generations of connoisseurs but also spectacularized their art de vivre.
Address for correspondence Barbara Lasic, Word and Image Department, Victoria and Albert Museum, London SW7 2RL, UK. b.lasic{at}vam.ac.uk