Selections from the Permanent Collection 1850-1970

This refreshed installation traces a century of American art, revealing how artists helped define the nation’s sense of identity, place, and progress. From the realism of the nineteenth century to the modern sensibilities of the mid-twentieth century, these works capture moments of transformation in the American story—shaped by innovation, shifting ideals, and expanding global connections.

Highlights acquired through the Horace G. Fralin Charitable Trust include masterworks by John Singer Sargent, Maria Oakey Dewing, Irving Wiles, and others, whose portraits and interiors balance refinement with modern sensibility. A newly installed suite of landscape paintings—from rugged Adirondack scenes to luminous coastal views—features Winslow Homer, Arthur Wesley Dow, Carducius Plantagenet Ream, and others, tracing how artists reimagined the land as both subject and symbol of American identity.

Elsewhere, Norman Rockwell’s Framed and vibrant beach scenes by Maurice Prendergast and Edward Potthast explore storytelling, leisure, and the rhythms of everyday modern life. A Wunderkammer-style display brings together objects such as a Tiffany vase, a Leonor Fini perfume bottle, and a Japanese inrō, evoking the nineteenth-century fascination with collecting that helped shape museums themselves. Regional voices, including Walter Biggs and Allen Ingles Palmer, extend that narrative closer to home, grounding national stories in the life and artistry of Southwest Virginia.

A dedicated gallery, made possible by Roanoke native Peggy Macdowell Thomas, examines the intertwined legacies of Thomas Eakins, Susan Macdowell Eakins, and Elizabeth (“Lizzie”) Macdowell Kenton—artists whose family ties and shared realism illuminate the personal networks behind American art’s enduring power.

Together, these works offer a panoramic view of America—its people, landscapes, and creative spirit—seen through the eyes of generations who helped define it.