Since 1844, the museum at the Maryland Center for History and Culture (formerly Maryland Historical Society) has amassed the largest collection of Maryland culture in the state. This collection encompasses more than 350,000 objects, from pre-settlement times to present day, and represents nearly every aspect of Maryland history and life. Highlights of the museum collection include:

  • Native American archaeological artifacts dating to 5,000 B.C.;
  • the world’s largest assembly of paintings by members of the Peale family;
  • nine portraits by artist Joshua Johnson—recognized as the first professional African American artist in the United States;
  • the largest national collection of B. Henry Latrobe sketchbooks;
  • Maryland landscape painting by Francis Guy;
  • the largest collection of Samuel Kirk silver, as well as their archive;
  • decorative glass created by John Frederick Amelung;
  • painted furniture from the early 19th century—the “Golden Age” of Baltimore furniture production;
  • a fashion archive of 12,000 garments and accessories spanning four centuries; and
  • the world’s largest collection of Baltimore Album quilts.

We are committed to preserving this collection and sharing it with everyone. Permanent and rotating exhibitions—as well as traveling exhibitions—highlight the best of the collection and continually present objects in new and changing ways within the context of today’s world.