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Treasures from the Albert H. Small Collection
Albert H. Small began collecting in 1949. On a trip to New York City, he wandered into an antiquarian bookshop and unearthed this first Washingtoniana treasure: a manuscript notebook chronicling the boundary stones that define the District of Columbia. His interest in his hometown soon grew into a desire to collect, preserve, and share D.C. history, especially with young people.
By 2018, Mr. Small had assembled more than 1,300 objects of prized Washingtoniana that illuminate both the city's local story and its history as the nation's capital. This exhibition samples several well represented areas of Mr. Small's collection: maps, the founding of Washington, D.C., the Civil War and President Lincoln in the city, and unique tourist memorabilia.
"The history that you get from these things is very valuable. It is part of our heritage. If young people don't take an interest in these things, who is going to? If we don't have young people who care about these things, our cultural heritage is lost."
-- Albert H. Small, Interview with GW students, 2015 |