William T. Walters, who made his fortune in the liquor trade and East Coast railroads, assembled a splendid collection of nineteenth century European painting and Asian art. After his death, he bequeathed the collection to his son Henry, who continued investing in and managing railroads while carrying on the family interest in art, transforming it into one of the finest American private collections. In 19341, Henry gave his collection of 22,000 works of art to the City of Baltimore for the benefit of the public. Although significantly expanded since then, the museum continues to reflect William's and Henry's collecting genius and philanthropic spirit. It is now a cultural institution of international renown and one of only a few museums worldwide to present a comprehensive history of art from the third millennium B.C. to the early twentieth century, with especially notable holdings of ivories, jewelry, enamels, bronzes, illuminated manuscripts, rare books, Egyptian, Green and Roman, Byzantine, Ethiopian, western medieval, Renaissance, Asian, and nineteenth century French painting.
