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The Annapolis Collection includes
over 700 fine and decorative art objects dating from the eighteenth century
to the present day. The Collection is rich in portraiture of Maryland governors
and legislators. Many of these paintings are displayed in the Maryland
State House and other legislative buildings throughout Annapolis. There
are also several paintings detailing significant events and figures in
the State's history. One of the earliest such paintings is Washington,
Lafayette, and Tilghman at Yorktown (shown above), completed by Maryland
artist Charles Willson Peale in 1784. This triple portrait, which depicts
General George Washington, the Marquis de Lafayette, and Colonel Tench
Tilghman, still hangs in the State House, the building for which it was
commissioned.
Besides paintings, the Annapolis Collection contains exceptional examples of American decorative arts, including furniture and silver. On display in the Old Senate Chamber of the State House are some of the original furnishings created for the room by renowned Annapolis cabinetmaker John Shaw. The striking U.S.S. Maryland Silver Service, designed and executed by Samuel Kirk and Sons of Baltimore in 1906, is exhibited in the Silver Room of the State House. Other fine examples of furniture and silver from the Annapolis Collection are installed in the public rooms of Government House, the Annapolis residence of the Governor of Maryland.
1934 Catalogue of the Paintings in the State House
Summary of 2001 Conservation Assessment of The Annapolis Collection
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2002, Maryland
State Archives