William and Henry Walters, the Reticent Collectors: William R. Johnston
Editorial Reviews
From Library Journal
The Walters Art Gallery in Baltimore is a sort of mini-Metropolitan, with a collection that spans periods and genres, from Egyptian bronzes and Islamic metalwork to early Renaissance paintings and more. Johnston, associate director of the gallery, has written an excellent portrait of the father and son who assembled the collection and turned it over to the people of Baltimore and the world. He deftly traces the career of the elder Walters from his birth in the wilds of Pennsylvania in the early 19th century to success as a railroad baron. His son, Henry, born to wealth, expanded his father’s collection and oversaw its transformation into a public gallery. Johnson skillfully handles both the complex business transactions of the Walters family and their varied interests in both the art of their day and in historical collecting. Highly recommended for larger collections and public libraries with an interest in the fine arts.AMartin R. Kalfatovic, Smithsonian Inst. Libs., Washington, DC
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
“An excellent portrait of the father and son who assembled the [Walters Art Gallery] collection and turned it over to the people of Baltimore and the world… Johnston skillfully handles both the complex business transactions of the Walters family and their varied interests in both the art of their day and in historical collecting. Highly recommended.” — Library Journal
“A superb read. While this book certainly defines the Walters, it goes much further — more than any other I know, it best addresses the nature of post-Civil War art collecting. It speaks of the rise to wealth, power, and position of a whole class of entrepreneurs in the post-Civil War period and addresses the entire historic, economic, and social life of Baltimore in the mid- and late nineteenth century. It is an original and substantial contribution of sound scholarship — there is nothing like it in publication.” — William H. GerdtsCity University of New York, author of American Impressionism
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