Today in Smithsonian History: December 27, 1904

Portrait photograph of Charles Lang Freer (1856-1919), industrialist, art collector, and founding donor of the Freer Gallery of Art, probably by Edward Steichen, c. 1916.

December 27, 1904 Industrialist and art collector Charles Lang Freer drafts a formal proposal to leave the nation his large collection of Asian and Impressionist art. He also promises funds to help construct a suitable building.

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