Rash's Surname Index


Notes for Joseph Early WIDENER

After the death of his father, Peter, in 1915, Joseph Early Widener
(1872-1943) permitted visitors to view the family collection in their mansion
outside Philadelphia. Joseph not only added appreciably to the collection,
but also enhanced its quality by culling works of secondary importance.
Andrew Mellon had discussed the possibility of a national museum with
Joseph Widener, who offered in 1939 to donate his family collection to the
Gallery in memory of his father. The Widener gift was announced by
President Franklin D. Roosevelt at the Gallery's opening ceremony, along
with the donation from the Kress Foundation. By 1942, only a year and a
half after the museum's inauguration, the Wideners' works were installed in
the Gallery.
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