When you visit the Museum's website, you'll notice that there's a space in the left-hand column of the homepage that is always devoted to showcasing an object from the collection. This used to be an "Object of the Day" pulled from our database—maybe a medieval portrait, a piece of colonial furniture, a 19th century Japanese kimono, a Duchamp readymade, or any one of our over 50,000 works of art now online. But we've made a few changes so that now you get to have a say in what gets top billing.

The "Object of the Day" has recently become the "Most Loved Object"—meaning the object from our online collection that you love the most. To make your feelings known, first search our site to see if your favorite works of art are online. Next, click the blue heart icon just below the image, and your vote will help boost your beloved object into the top spot. Van Gogh's Rain is leading right now.

And if your favorite work of art isn't online? We're adding new objects every week, so be sure to check back often and learn more about our commitment to making more and more of the collection digital with ART 24/7.

As you walk through the many period rooms installed in the European wing on the second floor of the Museum’s main building, you’ll come upon a 1923 drawing room from a town house that once stood at 901 Fifth Avenue in New York City. The paneled room and its French furnishings—brilliantly colored Sèvres porcelain, Louis XVI furniture, tapestries depicting the story of Psyche—were bequeathed to the Museum in 1938 by Eleanore Elkins Widener Rice. She was not only one of the Museum’s esteemed donors, but also a survivor of the shipwreck that took the lives of both her first husband, George D. Widener, Sr., and one of her sons, Harry, on April 14 one hundred years ago—the wreck of the RMS Titanic.

The daughter of William L. Elkins, the streetcar magnate for whom Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, was named, Eleanore was born in 1861 and grew up to become one of the city’s most celebrated and beautiful women. Her collection of pearls was renowned, and her 1883 marriage to George D. Widener lit up the society pages.

The Wideners were also prominent Philadelphians, and George’s father, Peter A. B. Widener, was a close friend of Eleanore’s father. The couple had a daughter, Eleanor, and two sons, George, Jr., and Harry.

Eleanore and George boarded the Titanic at Cherbourg, France. Harry, a collector of rare books who had picked up a few volumes at auction in Europe, was with them. Also with them were Amalie Geiger (Eleanore’s maid) and Edwin Keeping (George’s valet). They settled into an opulent, first-class suite of rooms on the port side of the C deck, cabins C-80/82. If you’ve seen the James Cameron movie Titanic, you can imagine their accommodations alongside those of Rose rather than Jack.

The Wideners’ traveling companions included a who’s who of early twentieth-century American privilege: John Jacob Astor IV and his wife, Madeleine; Benjamin Guggenheim; Isidor Straus and his wife, Ida; and fellow Philadelphians John B. Thayer (second vice president of the Pennsylvania Railroad), his wife, Marian, and son Jack.

On the evening of April 14, the Wideners hosted a dinner party in the ship’s À La Carte restaurant in honor of Titanic’s captain, Edward J. Smith. After dinner, the men smoked and conversed while Eleanore retired to her room. At 11:40 p.m. the ship struck the iceberg.

George and Harry pressed Eleanore to board Lifeboat 4 with a group of other women from the first-class cabins. George gave her his emerald ring. Some say she survived by manning the oars in her lifeboat until the passengers were rescued by the RMS Carpathia and taken to New York. Eleanore then traveled by private train back to Philadelphia. The New York Times initially reported that Harry had survived, but Eleanore soon learned that both her husband and her son had gone down with the ship.

In time, she would honor their memory magnificently. She dedicated two Tiffany stained glass windows to them at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Elkins Park, where a memorial service was held. She also made donations to Harry’s alma maters, The Hill School and Harvard University—giving $3.5 million to Harvard to build a library, a meaningful tribute to a young man who so loved books.

At the dedication of the Harry Elkins Widener Memorial Library on Commencement Day 1915, Eleanore found herself in the company of Dr. Alexander Hamilton Rice, a famous “gentleman explorer” nearly fourteen years her junior. Within a few months they married.

In later life, Eleanore accompanied Dr. Rice on some of his explorations in South America; the two also traveled extensively in Europe and India. Eleanore Elkins Widener Rice died in Paris in 1937. She is buried at Laurel Hill Cemetery, just a few miles west of the Museum in Fairmount Park.

Her legacy, and that of her family, resonates with the Museum in important and lasting ways. She, her father, brother, daughter, son, and grandson all gave generously and enriched the collections enormously. In addition to the drawing room from her New York town house that was part of her bequest, Eleanore gave to the Museum the salon from the Hôtel Le Tellier (gallery 268). Her children also gave an important collection of eighteenth-century English silver that belonged to their mother; much of it bears Eleanore’s initials.

Eleanore’s son George D. Widener, Jr., became a Museum trustee, and served as chairman from 1947 to 1964. He later made a generous bequest that allowed the Museum to acquire Edgar Degas’s late masterpiece After the Bath (Woman Drying Herself). Eleanore’s grandson, the late Fitz Eugene Dixon, Jr., also served on the Museum’s Board of Trustees, and it was he who endowed the Museum’s directorship in the name of his uncle. He wore the emerald ring throughout his life and today it is worn by his daughter, the great-grandaughter of George D. Widener, Sr.

Fitz’s wife, Edith, is a Museum trustee today. In 2009, she donated a painting of the drawing room from Eleanore Elkins Widener Rice’s Fifth Avenue town house, the very drawing room that now resides in gallery 265.

Want Even More Titanic Tie-Ins?

• In the exhibition Zoe Strauss: Ten Years, there’s a photo of a little boy sliding down the deck of an inflatable ship in the Delaware River. Its title? Titanic, Philadelphia.
• This fall, the exhibition Shipwreck! Winslow Homer and The Life Line will focus on the themes of peril at sea and the power of nature.
• One of the artists to be featured in the spring 2013 exhibition “Great and Mighty Things”: Art from the Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz Collection is named George Widener. Upon learning by coincidence that he shared a name with one of the victims of the Titanic disaster, Widener began incorporating motifs of the ship in a number of his intricate works of art.

Alfred Stieglitz was a champion of photography as a major art form in the early 20th century. He also promoted artists such as Marsden Hartley, Arthur Dove, Max Weber, and John Marin; he was among the first to exhibit the work of Matisse, Cezanne, and Picasso in America; he founded an internationally famous New York City art gallery known as 291; and he was married to Georgia O’Keeffe. Who wouldn’t want to be his friend?

Now you can at least be the next best thing, by joining the Friends of the Alfred Stieglitz Center. Home to more than 30,000 photographs, the Center was established in 1968 with the support of photographer Dorothy Norman. It features some of the most iconic and enigmatic images from the dawn of the medium to the present day.

The Friends are vital to preserving its legacy. Think of it as a salon of sorts--where you can join collectors, artists, curators, and other enthusiasts to delve into photography’s history and help shape its future. Go behind the scenes into galleries and private collections, and access exclusive lectures and educational programs. You can also help select new acquisitions for the Museum's collection.

There are two levels at which you can join the Friends of the Alfred Stieglitz Center, Friend ($500) or Benefactor ($1000). With Zoe Strauss: Ten Years in the Main Building and 35mm: Photographs from the Collection in the Perelman, it’s the perfect time to immerse yourself in all that photography at the Museum has to offer...and more.

There’s no better time of year to celebrate the magic of childhood, and at the Museum Library, there’s no better place to celebrate the magic of children’s book illustration. Now on view, The Artist in the Nursery features a colorful and charming collection of little-known children’s books illustrated by artists who, in many cases, held careers in other fields and forms of art. These books came into the Library largely through a gift by Carl Zigrosser, the Museum’s Curator of Prints from 1940 to 1964.

You’ll see vibrant music lessons and language primers, coloring and cut-and-paste books, and, appropriately for the season, a 1960 book illustrated by Barbara Neustadt called The First Christmas: From the Gospels of Saint Luke and Saint Matthew. Animal lovers will be delighted by Wanda Gág’s Millions of Cats, and for those who have been more naughty than nice, there’s always The Bad Child’s Book of Beasts. Also on view is A Hole in the Wall, written and illustrated by Rene d’Harnoncourt--father of the Museum’s late Director Anne d’Harnoncourt. In fact, among the holdings there’s even an activity book with color added by a young Anne.

So while visions of sugarplums are still dancing in your head, don’t miss this chance to see some dancing frogs, fish, and birds…and be enchanted by this rare collection.

The Artist in the Nursery
December 20 – May 2012
Library Reading Room, Perelman Building

Since 2007, the Museum has been working to bring its collections to a growing and ever-savvy community on the web. Searchable online objects are nothing new--indeed, you’ve been enjoying zoomable images, insightful text descriptions, links to an interactive map, and features such as social tagging and My Museum for some time. But now a milestone has been reached, and as the 50,000th object was just added to the online collection on December 1, it’s the perfect time to announce ART 24/7--a recent initiative that will keep growing, enhancing, and giving users new and interesting ways to interact with the Museum’s outstanding works of art…24/7.

A fundraising effort was just launched in the fall with the goal of raising one million dollars over the next two years. By supporting ART 24/7, you'll enable the behind-the-scenes efforts necessary to share the collection with you like never before. For example, gifts to ART 24/7 may support the conservation, research, or photography of an object before it goes online. Or, they could go towards resources to create educational tools, audio clips, and video to accompany each object. Above all, gifts help ensure that the collection’s online presence can continue to increase--right now, about 1,500 objects are added monthly.

As the movement is gaining momentum, so too are the possibilities. Be sure to stay tuned as the Museum develops and shares new features, opportunities for engagement, and ways to use the collections that suit your life and interests. It is a Philadelphia treasure, but it is truly your museum.

Discover more about ART 24/7, and make a gift that will support this exciting initiative.

Back in May, an exhibition opened in the Perelman Building to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Collab, the Museum’s Group for Modern and Contemporary design. This collection ranks among the largest and most important in any American museum, so to commemorate its special milestone, the group decided to choose a gift to add to the collection and to place on view in Collab: Four Decades of Giving Modern and Contemporary Design.

Of four chairs, Collab enlisted in the help of the online community to determine which one should be accessioned. The choices were: the "Madame Dakar" Chair, designed by Ayse Birsel and Bibi Seck, which envelops users like a hammock and draws on both the traditional and modern aesthetics of Africa; the "Clay" Dining Chair, designed and made by Maarten Baas, made from synthetic clay hand-molded over a metal frame and then lacquered for a spontaneous, almost childlike quality; the "Showtime" Armchair with Hood by Spanish designer Jaime Hayon, which is both futuristic and reminiscent of the Hollywood Regency style; and finally, the "Wood" Chair by Marc Newson, an elegant, sculptural design made of bent, intertwining strips of beechwood.

In an online discussion forum, guests left comments as to which chair they liked best and why--with colorful, often entertaining observations and opinions. For several months the feedback came pouring in, and it was just announced that, despite numerous votes for each of the chairs, Marc Newson’s was the clear popular winner. Newson, who hails from Australia, created the "Wood" Chair not long after he graduated from Sydney College of the Arts in 1984. It was then commissioned for a Crafts Council of New South Wales exhibition intended to encourage interaction between crafts practice and industry. The simple, abstract double-curve form of the chair is composed of slatted bent beech strips strengthened with horizontal bracings at each end and around the curve of the seat. In 1995, Italian manufacturer Cappellini put the chair into serial production. It, along with several other unique chairs, clocks, posters, lamps and more, is now installed in the Collab Gallery, and will be on view through fall 2012.

And if your personal favorite chair was one of the other three? Not to worry, in the end all four chairs were accessioned--broadening the scope of Collab’s collection all the more and ensuring that your choice may very well be on view in an upcoming show.

All things merry and bright are coming to the Museum this holiday season, beginning this week and continuing until it’s time to ring in 2012! November 17 - 20 are Member Appreciation Days--the perfect opportunity for the Museum to give thanks to its members with additional discounts in the stores and Granite Hill, as well as other perks.

After Thanksgiving, the holiday happenings really take off, both in the galleries and in the Great Stair Hall--which will be decked with fresh greens and twinkling lights thanks to a collaboration with the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. As you click through the online calendar, be on the lookout for a decorative red motif denoting seasonal events to get you in the spirit. Among them are an array of festive Fridays with Art After 5--from a Holiday Klezmer in honor of the Festival of Lights to a ‘50s-inspired Mistletoe Hop, a Jazz-Age revelry in Toyland, and a swanky New Year’s Eve Pre-Party. The Education Department has kids and adults alike covered with a host of activities including guided tours focusing on the Christmas Story and a day-long Winter Wonderland family event. There will also be caroling--the Pennsylvania Girlchoir will be singing in the galleries on December 10 and 11. Every day during Holiday Week (December 26 - 30), there will also be 2 p.m. performances from a number of area singing groups. A beloved holiday tradition is returning to the Fairmount Park Houses as well, with tours of Mount Pleasant and Cedar Grove that will transport you back to Decembers past.

And, of course, there is this season’s exhibition in the Dorrance Galleries, Dutch Treat: A Glimpse of Holland’s Golden Age, featuring the work of Gerrit Dou and other related highlights from the collection. Dutch treats of a different sort will be available in the Museum Store, from hand-painted tiles to Delft-inspired figures to chocolates and candies that are sure to take care of all your gift-giving needs.

It’s a month of merriment at the Museum – and we can’t wait to celebrate with you!

Baby, it’s getting cold outside. So while you’re unpacking last year’s woolies and taking stock of what you might need before it snows again, why not check out some truly Great Coats at the PMA? Now on view in the Perelman Building’s Costume and Textiles Study Gallery, this selection of women’s coats from the 1920s to the early 21st century focuses on inventive lines, interesting shapes, and ingenious uses of materials and embellishment.

Among the most worn (and seen) garments, coats often make a bold fashion statement. They can also be an important indicator of fashion’s evolution: take the straight-line wraps of the 1920s, for example, or the full skirts of the “New Look” of the late 1940s, or even the sculptural forms of the late 20th century. Designers may also reinterpret traditional styles, from the military tunic to the famed trench coat, or take their inspiration from the diverse repertoire of styles and decoration found in cultures around the world.

Take a peek at our online gallery for a preview, then be sure to stop by and see the entire selection in person. Keeping warm has never been quite so inspiring.

Celebrate the art of India, this weekend and beyond! Begin with Exhibiting India’s Art in the 21st Century, the Third Annual Anne d’Harnoncourt Symposium. Tickets are still available for Saturday’s not-to-be-missed line-up of speakers sharing their recent work and discoveries. Join us for an array of fascinating lectures, followed by a panel discussion. Tickets are also available for Sunday’s educational and family-themed programming, concluding with a talk from the Museum’s Assistant Curator of Indian and Himalayan Art, Yael Rice, on the PMA’s own hidden art treasures of India.

Get your symposium tickets today, and afterwards indulge your love of India's art some more with two focused installations in the Main Building. At Home in the World: Rabindranath Tagore and the Modernist Impulse takes a look at the magnificent connections between the art of Bengali poet-activist Rabindranath Tagore and the works of other early 20th-century avant-garde artists. A few galleries away, The Natacha Rambova Collection of Lamaist Art features paintings and sculpture from over 70 works donated by Natacha Rambova--one time ballerina, Hollywood set and costume designer, Egyptologist, and friend to both photographer Dorothy Norman and the Museum's former curator of Indian art Stella Kramrisch.

Whether you’re an art professional, a collector, or just in the mood to be inspired, you won’t want to miss out!

Exhibiting India’s Art in the 21st Century is generously supported by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

The newest exhibition to open in the Perelman Building, Zaha Hadid, Form in Motion, will delight you with its bold innovation and all-encompassing interior landscape--but how did it all come to be? Check out two new videos that just went online to get a glimpse into how the many pieces of this architectural puzzle fit together.

The first is a 6-minute time-lapse video that shows Museum staff members, Associated Fabrication staff as well as several others building Form in Motion from the ground up. You’ll have a birds-eye view of the Exhibition Gallery’s transformation from an empty space to a sleek environment of light, curving lines, and breathtaking engineering.

The second video takes you on a 3-minute journey to Brooklyn, where staff at Associated Fabrication show you how the unique materials used in the show were created before being brought to Philadelphia.

After viewing, be sure to visit in person to see the space for yourself…and be awed by Hadid’s shapes, spaces, and designs.

Zaha Hadid: Form in Motion is on view in the Perelman Building through March 25, 2012

Now that Rembrandt and the Face of Jesus is just about to open, it’s the perfect time to get to know more about one of the greatest master painters of the Dutch Golden Age. But Rembrandt was actually known for much more than his astonishing paintings--in particular, his prints.

In "Rembrandt and Printmaking", a new video just posted online, you’ll go behind the scenes into the age old, multi-step technique that Rembrandt perfected. Learn the differences and similarities between etching and dry point, and see demonstrations of each. Discover how Rembrandt’s extraordinary drawing skills, experimental spirit, and unique application of ink created interesting shades and tones that made his prints as expressive as his paintings. The video focuses on one masterpiece in particular, The Hundred Guilder Print (c. 1649)--a work in which Rembrandt combined both etching and dry point to dramatic effect.

Produced by the Museum’s Division of Education and Audio/Visual Department, “Rembrandt and Printmaking” was filmed on location in the Fleisher Art Memorial’s printmaking studios. It offers a rare glimpse at the equipment and materials used today--the same types used hundreds of years ago in Rembrandt’s own studio.

Watch the video now!

Relax in the Main Building’s cafeteria with a coffee, a sandwich, and some extraordinary photos. Now on view, a selection of black and white images from the PMA archives that offer visitors a whole new kind of art appreciation.

Highlighting special moments, distinguished visitors, and historic exhibitions, these photos go back to the 1920s with early construction views of the Main Building and the Parkway. You’ll also see Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier III meeting with officials at the Museum, Lauren Bacall discussing Picasso’s Three Musicians with former Director Henri Marceau, and artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude standing before the “wrapped” steps of the Great Stair Hall as part of the groundbreaking 1970 Peace exhibition. A photo of Queen Elizabeth II taken during the Museum’s 1976 Bicentennial celebration is especially significant, as photography was closely regulated at the event. And Rocky fans will certainly enjoy a shot of Sylvester Stallone giving direction to extras on the East Terrace set of Rocky 3. Marcel Duchamp (pictured here with The Large Glass), John Cage, Mick Jagger, The Grateful Dead, and so many others decorate the walls as well, offering a glimpse into the social and cultural history of the Museum that the public doesn’t normally have the opportunity to see.

Discover more images, as well as the Cafeteria's hours of operation, on the Museum's dining page.

Let your online Museum experience enhance your in-person Museum experience in an all-new way now that general admission tickets can be purchased online. No more lines--just ease of planning and convenience like never before.

Online admission covers access to all the treasures of both the Main and Perelman buildings. Ticketed special exhibitions (such as the upcoming Rembrandt and the Face of Jesus) are not included in general admission but may also be purchased online. Plan early, and your tickets will be mailed to you. Otherwise, you may pick them up at Will Call when you arrive.

Online buying is going to keep getting better and even easier--soon, members-only programs, family events, teacher workshops and symposia, lectures, and so much more will be available for purchase, allowing you to schedule your perfect Museum day right from your computer.

Learn more about hours and prices, and start your planning now!

For more than 40 years, The Associates of the Philadelphia Museum of Art have been integral in bringing the Museum’s mission to life – by helping to support special exhibitions, groundbreaking educational programs, extensive conservation efforts, and so much more. They’ve also been having quite a bit of fun along the way. Now online, a new video celebrates this important anniversary with a glimpse not only into all that the Associates do, but also how you can be a part of it.

Meet a few of the current members who are experiencing lifelong learning and discovery on a daily basis, and hear first-hand how their partnership with the Museum has thoroughly enriched their lives. In addition to the unrivaled travel opportunities and special behind-the-scenes access to which Associates are privy, there are also the life-long friendships members have made and the joys of seeing their support make a tangible difference in the Museum’s growth. From breakfast tours to the popular Lunch and Learn series, from Family Days to elegant receptions, from short day trips to far-off overseas adventures, the Associates always have something exciting going on.

We invite you to enjoy the video, learn more, and join us!