150 Years: A Collection Begins

In 1875, Washington and Lee University received its first gift of art by the bequest of Dr. William Newton Mercer (1790–1874). This collection included five portraits of key American figures, including George Washington and Chief Justice John Marshall, as well as a portrait of Mercer himself as benefactor. These six paintings mark the beginnings of the art collection and the university’s investment in making art a vital part of the college experience. Since then, the collection has grown from six paintings to over 15,000 objects due to generous gifts from donors, purchases, and artists-in-residence programs. This exhibition celebrates the founding of the collection and shares key moments in the history of the art collection in the century and a half since.

This exhibition is curated by Meaghan M. Walsh, the Louise C. Herreshoff Curatorial Fellow in American Art at the Art Museum at W&L, in partnership with the University Library, and in collaboration with Kim Sims, Associate University Librarian, Special Collections and Archives, and Rachel Gregor, Curator of Collections and Exhibitions, Institutional History Museum and Galleries.