Painting, sculpture, furniture, decorative arts, contemporary craft

With a special emphasis on the treasures of Philadelphia and its surrounding region, the Department of American Art is home to three centuries of painting, sculpture, and decorative arts that tell the story of the nation. Outstanding strengths include furniture and silver of the 18th and 19th centuries, furniture and ceramics from rural Pennsylvania, and a remarkable group of paintings--including the renowned Staircase Group--by the Philadelphia artist and scientist Charles Willson Peale and his descendents. Also significant is the Thomas Eakins Collection of paintings, sculptures, sketches, and archival material, constituting the largest body of the artist’s work in existence. Other highlights include the McNeil Presidential China Collection (the finest outside the White House); an unmatched collection of porcelains, design books, papers, and tools from the Tucker porcelain factory; 500 examples of American glass and their European prototypes; a significant group of Shaker furniture and decorative objects; and distinctive examples of contemporary American crafts. The department also encompasses Cedar Grove and Mount Pleasant, two historic houses in Fairmount Park. Together, these holdings comprise one of the finest and largest collections of American Art in the United States.

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