Rogues’ Gallery: When Rich People Spend Good Money on Bad Art
Free Lecture by Thomas H. Keels
Sunday, September 15, 2024
3 pm
Cash Bar and Light Fare
Folurtown Country Club
150 McCloskey Rd, Flourtown
Join us for this FREE lecture where Thomas Keels traces the intertwined history of art forgery and social striving, with an emphasis on Philadelphia collectors such as P.A.B. Widener, John G. Johnson and Edward T. Stotesbury.
Keels will also discuss how during WWII, Whitemarsh Hall was used by the Metropolitan Museum of Art to store its most valuable paintings in case the Nazis bombed Manhattan. While the masterpieces were in storage at Whitemarsh Hall, they underwent cleaning, repairs, and, for the first time, a rigorous study, including chemical analysis, x-rays, infrared, etc. By the time the masterpieces were returned to the Met in 1944, the number of certified Rembrandts in its collection had shrunk from over two dozen to about ten.
Thomas H. Keels is a Philadelphia-based historian, lecturer and author. He has written or co-authored seven books on local history.
FALL OPEN HOUSE
Saturday, October 5, 2024
10AM – NOON
1432 Bethlehem Pike, Flourtown
Tour the historical society archives at the Black Horse Inn.
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Recent programs:
Penn State Abington and The Ogontz School by Frank Quatrrone (December 9, 2021)
Philo T. Farnsworth, Inventor of Electronic TV by Coxey Toogood, Member STHS Board of Directors(September 23, 2021)
Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed Partnership Inc., A presentation by Julie Slavet, Executive Director (May 6, 2021)
Enfield Elementary School: Historical Presentation and Memories by Ed Zwicker, IV (December 10, 2020)
Mining Industries of Southern Montgomery County by Ron Sloto (November 5, 2020)
Woodmere: The History of a Cultural Treasure by George McNeely (May 28, 2020)