page_title: Charles Lang Freer
section_title: Freer Gallery of Art
hierarchical_section_title: Charles Lang Freer / Freer Gallery of Art
caption_attribution_description: Exterior of the Freer Gallery, a part of the Smithsonian Exhibiton, along the Mall at Washington DC.
context_page_description: Charles Lang Freer was an American industrialist, art collector, and patron. He is known for his large collection of East Asian, American, and Middle Eastern Art. In 1906, Freer donated his extensive collection to the Smithsonian Institution, making him the first American to bequeath his private collection to the United States. To house the objects, including The Peacock Room by James McNeill Whistler, Freer funded the construction of the Freer Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
context_section_description: On December 15, 1905, Freer sent US President Theodore Roosevelt a letter in which Freer outlined his initial bequest offer. James McMillan, Freer's friend, US Senator, and partner in the Michigan Car Company, championed the idea of a shaping Washington, DC into a beautiful capital city. His influence helped guide Freer's offer towards Washington. Negotiations continued for the next five months, stalled briefly by Samuel P. Langley, the director of the Smithsonian Institution. In May 1906, the Regents of the Smithsonian Institution accepted Freer's gift on behalf of the United States Government.
  Freer's gift, provided not only his collection but also the building and initial endowment was the first of its kind in US history. Despite this, Freer's initial bequest was thorough, including an inventory of 2,250 objects that Freer would retain until his death. It also outlined that Freer's new acquisitions would stay with the patron until his death.
  In 1918 and 1919, Freer placed provisions in his will, further bolstering the structure he established in the 1906 gift. The first provision established an income stream, sourced from stocks and cash dividends, to ensure that the museum employed a highly skilled curator. The patron designated two additional funds to decorate and maintain the museum grounds, specifically interior and exterior ornamental gardens. Once met, Freer established further stipulations. Freer mandated that residuary incomes from his estate continue to support a scholarship for Asian and Middle Eastern studies and acquire new works from Asia, Egypt, and the Middle East. Within the acquisition addition, Freer included a detailed stipulation. All new acquisitions must be approved by the Fine Arts National Commission and a panel of the collector's close friends and confidantes.
  In his most stringent restriction, Freer stated that the museum may not accept gifts of works of art for the permanent collection. The Museum was also forbidden to display works of art that were not part of the permanent collection. Finally, once brought into the permanent collection, no piece of art was permitted to be loaned out.
  In 1916, construction began on what is now known as the Freer Gallery in Washington. The building cost a million dollars, all of which was paid by Freer. Completion was delayed by World War I and the gallery was not opened until 1923.
caption: Exterior of the Freer Gallery, a part of the Smithsonian Institution, along the Mall at Washington DC.
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