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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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© Copyright 2002, Maryland State Archives