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One of the most significant art collections ever put together by father and son may be found in Baltimore, Maryland. In the Walters Art Museum , there are over 28,000 objects of art which represent 55 centuries of creativity. It didn’t happen overnight, though; in fact, from the year the first exhibits opened to the public in 1874 until now, there have been about 49,640 nights, or 136 years. William Thompson Walters, originally native to Liverpool, Pennsylvania, came to Baltimore in 1841. He was a grain merchant with a wholesale liquor house who began collecting art, first locally, then expanding to European art and sculpture. He purchased Jean-Leon Gerome’s The Duel after the Masquerade , and commissioned works from Honore Daumier as well as Antoine-Louis Barye and Gerome, while living in Paris during the Civil War.

Upon Walter’s return to the United States, he left the liquor business and went into railroads and banking, all the while expanding upon his art collection, mainly in the fields of European paintings and Asian art. By this time, his son was in his late 20s, and began making trips for his father, attending exhibitions for the senior Walter, inheriting the collection upon his father’s death in 1894. The son kept adding to the collection until his own death in 1931, when he gave all the art to the city of Baltimore, with the idea that it would be used for the public’s benefit.

Today, the Walters Art Museum is internationally known for its art, providing a view of the creative culture of the world from the pre-dynastic Egyptian era to 20th Century Europe. You’ll be able to take a look at everything from Greek sculpture, medieval ivories and paintings by Old Masters. There’s Art Deco jewelry and masterpieces from 19th Century America and Europe. If you’re stopping in Baltimore, best hotels may easily be found, but there’s only one museum where you can see 5,500 years of art all in one place. The museum is open from Wednesday through Sunday from ten in the morning to five in the afternoon, at 600 N. Charles Street in the historic cultural district of Mount Vernon.