List of museums in Philadelphia

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This list of museums in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, encompasses museums defined for this context as institutions, including nonprofit organizations, government entities, and private businesses, that collect and care for objects of cultural, artistic, scientific, or historical interest and make their collections or related exhibits available for public viewing. Also included are university and non-profit art galleries. Museums that exist only in cyberspace, such as virtual museums, are not included.

Contents

Current museums

NameNeighborhoodTypeSummary
Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University Center City Natural historyNature dioramas, large mineral crystals, dinosaurs, live animals
ACES Museum Germantown MilitaryHonors the black and minority veterans of World War II [1] [2]
African American Museum in Philadelphia Center CityEthnicFormerly known as Afro-American Historical and Cultural Museum
American Philosophical Society Museum Center CityMultipleChanging exhibits on history, science and art drawn from its collections
American Swedish Historical Museum South Philadelphia Ethnic - Swedish American Focuses on Swedish contributions to history, art, architecture, music, science and technology
Arthur Ross Gallery West Philadelphia ArtGallery of the University of Pennsylvania
Athenaeum of Philadelphia Center CityArtMuseum of American fine and decorative arts, exhibits about architecture and design history
Barnes Foundation Center CityArtPost-Impressionist and early Modern paintings, American masters, Old Master paintings, African sculpture, Native American ceramics, jewelry and textiles, American paintings and decorative arts and antiquities from the Mediterranean region and Asia
Bartram's Garden Southwest Philadelphia Historic houseBotanical garden with a historic house to tour
Belmont Mansion West PhiladelphiaHistoryHistoric mansion with Underground Railroad museum in Fairmount Park
Betsy Ross House Center CityHistoric housePossible home of Betsy Ross, who sewed flags for the U.S. Navy and may have sewn the first American flag.
Bishop White House Center CityHistoric housePart of Independence National Historical Park, late-18th-century-period house
Carpenters' Hall Center CityHistoryPart of Independence National Historical Park, colonial history of the carpenter's guild
Cedar Grove Mansion West PhiladelphiaHistoric house18th-century stone house reflection five generations of owners
Center for Art in Wood Center CityArtInternational arts institution, gallery and resource center for design of art in wood
Civil War Museum of Philadelphia PhiladelphiaCivil WarTemporarily closed 2008, seeking new location; collection stored at the Gettysburg Museum and Visitor Center, National Museum of American Jewish History and the African American Museum in Philadelphia [3]
Cliveden GermantownHistoric houseOperated by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, mid 18th-century mansion that was the scene of some of the bloodiest fighting of the 1777 Battle of Germantown during the American Revolutionary War
Colored Girls Museum GermantownEthnic - African AmericanA "memoir museum" devoted to the stories, experiences, and history of ordinary Black women and girls
Concord School House GermantownEducation18th-century one-room schoolhouse
Congress Hall Center CityHistoryPart of Independence National Historical Park, restored to period when the building served as the meeting place of the U. S. Congress from 1790 - 1800
Declaration House Center CityHistoric house website, part of Independence National Historical Park, 18th-century house where Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence
Dolley Todd House Center CityHistoric housePart of Independence National Historical Park, 18th-century-period home of Dolley Todd Madison
Drexel University CollectionWest PhiladelphiaArt website, painting, sculpture, decorative arts and porcelain, exhibited in the AJ Drexel Picture Gallery, Rincliff Gallery, Peck Gallery
Eastern State Penitentiary Lower North Philadelphia PrisonTours and exhibits about the 19th century prison that was in use until 1971
Ebenezer Maxwell Mansion GermantownHistoric houseVictorian mansion and garden
Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site Lower North PhiladelphiaHistoric houseHome once rented by author Edgar Allan Poe, exhibits about his life and works
Elfreth's Alley Museum Center CityHistoric houseOnly house on Elfreth's Alley that is accessible to the public
The Fabric Workshop and Museum Center CityArtDevoted to creating new work in new materials and new media
Fairmount Water Works Lower North PhiladelphiaNatural historyInterpretive center houses interactive exhibits about water and the water works
Firemen's Hall Museum Center CityFirefighting website, history and heroic moments of Philadelphia firefighting
Fort Mifflin Southwest PhiladelphiaMilitaryCenterpiece of the British conquest of Philadelphia during the American Revolution, 18th- and 19th-century buildings
Founder's Hall Lower North PhiladelphiaDecorative artsPart of Girard College, collection of furniture, silver, paintings, ceramics, textiles and archives of Stephen Girard, and school memorabilia
Franklin Court Center CityHistoryPart of Independence National Historical Park, site of Ben Franklin's house, features Benjamin Franklin Museum, an 18th-century printing office, an architectural/archeological exhibit, an operating post office and a postal museum
Franklin Institute Center CityScienceMany hands-on exhibits, also Ben Franklin's inventions
Galleries at Moore College Center CityArtPart of Moore College of Art and Design
Germantown Historical Society Museum Germantown Local history website, furniture, decorative and historical exhibits, located in the John Fromberger House
Germantown White House GermantownHistoric houseOwned by the National Park Service, formerly the Deshler-Morris House, 18th-century house that sheltered George Washington and his family
Glen Foerd on the Delaware Northeast Philadelphia Historic sitePhiladelphia's only remaining Delaware riverfront estate open to the public, listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the Historic American Landscape Survey
Grand Army of the Republic Civil War Museum and Library Northeast PhiladelphiaMilitaryLocated in the John Ruan House, features Civil War and Grand Army of the Republic artifacts, books, and memorabilia
Grumblethorpe GermantownHistoric houseMid-18th-century house
Hill-Keith-Physick House Center CityHistoric houseOperated by the Philadelphia Society for the Preservation of Landmarks, 19th-century home of surgical pioneer Dr. Philip Syng Physick
Historical Society of Frankford Northeast PhiladelphiaLocal historyHistory of Northeast Philadelphia
Historical Society of Pennsylvania Center CityHistoryChanging exhibits of the history of Pennsylvania and the founding of the United States
Independence Hall Center CityHistoryPart of Independence National Historical Park, location where both the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution were debated and adopted
Independence National Historical Park Center CityHistoryIncludes Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, Carpenters' Hall, Visitor Center and National Constitution Center
Independence Seaport Museum Center CityMaritimeMaritime artifacts, ship models, permanent and interactive exhibits, including the warship USS Olympia (C-6) and the submarine USS Becuna (SS-319)
Insectarium Northeast PhiladelphiaNatural historyThousands of live and mounted insects, interactive displays
Institute of Contemporary Art, Philadelphia West PhiladelphiaArtPart of the University of Pennsylvania
John Johnson House GermantownHistoric houseSignificant for its role in the antislavery movement and the Underground Railroad
La Salle University Art Museum GermantownArtCollections include European and American art from the Renaissance to the present
Laurel Hill Mansion North PhiladelphiaHistoric house website, 18th-century Georgian house
Lemon Hill Mansion Lower North PhiladelphiaHistoric houseLocated in Fairmount Park, operated by the Pennsylvania chapter of the Colonial Dames of America and the Friends of Lemon Hill, early-19th-century house
Leonard Pearlstein GalleryWest PhiladelphiaArt website, part of Drexel University's Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts and Design, exhibits novel and experimental art in all contemporary mediums including digital, video, sculpture, photography, graphics, and fashion design
Liberty Bell Center Center CityHistoryPart of Independence National Historical Park, includes the Liberty Bell and exhibits about its history and role as an international icon of freedom
Library Company of Philadelphia Center CityLibraryChanging exhibits from its collections of American history and culture from the 17th through the 19th centuries
Living Loft Puppet Museum West PhiladelphiaPuppetCreations of the Spiral Q Puppet Theater, open by appointment
Mario Lanza MuseumSouth PhiladelphiaBiographical website, memorabilia from the career of the legendary tenor Mario Lanza
Marian Anderson Museum and Birthplace South PhiladelphiaBiographicalTwo sites operated by the Marion Anderson Historical Society
Masonic Library and Museum of Pennsylvania Center CityMasonicCenter of Freemasonry in Pennsylvania
Mount Pleasant Lower North PhiladelphiaHistoric houseColonial era mansion
Mummers MuseumSouth PhiladelphiaArt website, costumes from the Mummers Parade
Museum of the American Revolution Center CityHistoryHistory of the American Revolution
Mütter Museum Center CityMedicalCollection of medical oddities, anatomical and pathological specimens, wax models, and antique medical equipment
National Constitution Center Center CityHistoryHistory and relevance of the United States Constitution
National Liberty Museum Center CityHistoryEight galleries focus on heroism, freedom, diversity, faith and more; includes over 100 works in glass illustrating the beauty and fragility of freedom
National Shrine of Saint John Neumann North PhiladelphiaReligiousShrine with museum about John Neumann
New Hall Military Museum Center CityMilitary website, part of Independence National Historical Park, exhibits about the founding of the United States Marine Corps and the Army and Navy Departments
Old City Hall Center CityHistoryPart of Independence National Historical Park, site of the first U.S. Supreme Court
Painted Bride Art Center Center CityArtNon-profit artist-centered performance space and gallery particularly oriented to presenting the work of local Philadelphia artists
Paul Robeson House West PhiladelphiaAfrican AmericanLegacy of Paul Robeson, community art exhibits
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts Center CityArtOldest art museum and school in the nation, 19th- and 20th-century American paintings, sculptures, and works on paper
Philadelphia Art Alliance Center CityArtInstitution hosts art exhibits, theater and music workshops, poetry readings, lectures, concerts and recitals
Philadelphia Doll Museum Lower North PhiladelphiaToyAfrican, Europeans American Folk Art dolls, the renowned Roberta Bell Doll Collection, American and internationally manufactured dolls and more; emphasis on black dolls
Philadelphia History Museum Center CityLocal historyHistory museum for the City of Philadelphia (currently closed, future unknown) [4]
Philadelphia Museum of Art Lower North PhiladelphiaArtEuropean, Asian and American fine art, furniture and decorative arts, arms & armor, period rooms
Philadelphia Museum of Jewish Art Lower North PhiladelphiaArtPart of Congregation Rodeph Shalom, exhibits contemporary art that illuminates the Jewish experience
Philadelphia's Magic Gardens South PhiladelphiaArtMosaic-covered gardens, building and art gallery
Please Touch Museum West PhiladelphiaChildren'sInteractive museum to promote learning in children
Polish American Cultural Center MuseumCenter CityEthnic - Polish website
Powel House Center CityHistoric houseOperated by the Philadelphia Society for the Preservation of Landmarks, 18th-century Georgian townhouse mansion
The Print Center Center CityArt website, contemporary printmaking and photography
RittenhouseTown GermantownHistoric village18th and 19th century houses. Site of British North America's first paper mill and birthplace of David Rittenhouse
Rodin Museum Center CityArtLargest collection of sculptor Auguste Rodin's works outside Paris
Romanian Folk Art MuseumCenter CityEthnic - Romania website, Romanian costumes, rugs, pottery, furniture and a full Transylvanian interior
Rosenbach Museum & Library Center CityArt, LibraryRare miniature portraits, 18th- and 19th-century British and American furniture and decorative art, rare books, manuscripts and illustrations, collection of works by Maurice Sendak
Ryerss Museum and Library Northeast PhiladelphiaHistoric houseMansion with Asian and European decorative arts, located in Burholme Park
Samuel S. Fleisher Art Memorial South PhiladelphiaArtCommunity art centre, contains art by Violet Oakley, tiles by Henry Chapman Mercer, 18th-century Portuguese art, primitive European art, religious art from the original church
Science History Institute (formerly the Chemical Heritage Foundation)Center CityScienceHistory of science, particularly chemistry, and the role science plays in the modern world
Second Bank of the United States Center CityArtPart of Independence National Historical Park, art gallery exhibits of Colonial and Federal leaders, military officers, explorers and scientists, including many by Charles Willson Peale
Shofuso Japanese House and Garden West PhiladelphiaHistoric housePart of Fairmount Park, traditional 17th-century–style Japanese house and garden
Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum Southwest PhiladelphiaAutomotiveCollection of over 65 historically significant racing sports cars
Stenton North PhiladelphiaHistoric houseEarly American Georgian architecture, operated by The National Society of the Colonial Dames of America
Strawberry Mansion North PhiladelphiaHistoric houselate 18th-century house located in Fairmount Park
Tall Ship Gazela & Tug Jupiter Center CityMaritime1883 tall sailing ship Gazela, the 1902 iron tugboat Jupiter and lighter barge Poplar open for tours
Temple University School of Podiatric Medicine Shoe MuseumLower North PhiladelphiaClothingOpen by appointment, part of Temple University School of Podiatric Medicine [5]
Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial Center CityHistoric houseHistoric house where wounded Polish freedom fighter Thaddeus Kosciuszko lived
Tyler School of Art Lower North PhiladelphiaArtFeatures Temple Contemporary gallery
University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology West PhiladelphiaArchaeology, AnthropologyArtifacts from Egypt, China, Mesopotamia, Greco-Roman antiquities, Buddhist art, African art, and Mayan and other Pre-Columbian artifacts
Upsala GermantownHistoric houseLate 18th century house
Wagner Free Institute of Science Lower North PhiladelphiaNatural historyVictorian cases and hand-labeled natural history specimens arranged in the 1880s
Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History Center CityJewishStory of Jews in America
Wells Fargo History Museum Center CityHistoryInclude a stagecoach, telegraph equipment, historic clothing and currency
Woodford North PhiladelphiaHistoric housePart of Fairmount Park, houses collection of antique household goods, including Colonial furniture, unusual clocks and English delftware
Woodmere Art Museum Northwest PhiladelphiaArtPaintings, prints, sculpture and photographs focusing on artists from the Delaware Valley
Wyck House GermantownHistoric houseOldest house in Germantown

Defunct museums

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norman Rockwell</span> American painter and illustrator (1894–1978)

Norman Percevel Rockwell was an American painter and illustrator. His works have a broad popular appeal in the United States for their reflection of the country's culture. Rockwell is most famous for the cover illustrations of everyday life he created for The Saturday Evening Post magazine over nearly five decades. Among the best-known of Rockwell's works are the Willie Gillis series, Rosie the Riveter, The Problem We All Live With, Saying Grace, and the Four Freedoms series. He is also noted for his 64-year relationship with the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), during which he produced covers for their publication Boys' Life, calendars, and other illustrations. These works include popular images that reflect the Scout Oath and Scout Law such as The Scoutmaster, A Scout Is Reverent, and A Guiding Hand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Visual art of the United States</span>

Visual art of the United States or American art is visual art made in the United States or by U.S. artists. Before colonization, there were many flourishing traditions of Native American art, and where the Spanish colonized Spanish Colonial architecture and the accompanying styles in other media were quickly in place. Early colonial art on the East Coast initially relied on artists from Europe, with John White the earliest example. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, artists primarily painted portraits, and some landscapes in a style based mainly on English painting. Furniture-makers imitating English styles and similar craftsmen were also established in the major cities, but in the English colonies, locally made pottery remained resolutely utilitarian until the 19th century, with fancy products imported.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rockwell Kent</span> American artist (1882-1971)

Rockwell Kent was an American painter, printmaker, illustrator, writer, sailor, adventurer and voyager.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Willson Peale</span> American painter (1741–1827)

Charles Willson Peale was an American painter, soldier, scientist, inventor, politician, and naturalist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rembrandt Peale</span> American artist and museum keeper (1778–1860)

Rembrandt Peale was an American artist and museum keeper. A prolific portrait painter, he was especially acclaimed for his likenesses of presidents George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. Peale's style was influenced by French neoclassicism after a stay in Paris in his early thirties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Rush (sculptor)</span> American sculptor

William Rush was a U.S. neoclassical sculptor from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is considered the first major American sculptor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philadelphia History Museum</span> United States historic place

The Philadelphia History Museum was a public history museum located in Center City, Philadelphia from 1938 until 2018. From 1938 until 2010, the museum was known as the Atwater Kent Museum. The museum occupied architect John Haviland's landmark Greek Revival structure built in 1824–1826 for the Franklin Institute. The Museum operated as a city agency as part of Philadelphia's Department of Recreation. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 1, 1979.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raphaelle Peale</span> Painter from the United States (1774–1825)

Raphaelle Peale is considered the first professional American painter of still-life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">J. C. Leyendecker</span> German-American illustrator

Joseph Christian Leyendecker was one of the most prominent and financially successful freelance commercial artists in the U.S. He was active between 1895 and 1951 producing drawings and paintings for hundreds of posters, books, advertisements, and magazine covers and stories. He is best known for his 80 covers for Collier's Weekly, 322 covers for The Saturday Evening Post, and advertising illustrations for B. Kuppenheimer men's clothing and Arrow brand shirts and detachable collars. He was one of the few known gay artists working in the early-twentieth century U.S.

The La Salle University Art Museum is located in the basement of Olney Hall at La Salle University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The museum features six galleries. Collections include European and American art from the Renaissance to the present. Special collections including paper, Japanese prints, rare illustrated Bibles, Indian miniatures, African carvings and implements, Pre-Columbian pottery and Ancient Greek ceramics. Changing exhibits are held of historic and contemporary art drawn from the collections and from outside collections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Memorial Hall (Philadelphia)</span> United States historic place

Memorial Hall is a Beaux-Arts style building which is located in the Centennial District of West Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Built as the art gallery for the 1876 Centennial Exposition, it is the only major structure from that exhibition to survive. It subsequently housed the Pennsylvania Museum of Industrial Art.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willie Gillis</span> Fictional character by Norman Rockwell

Willie Gillis, Jr. is a fictional character created by Norman Rockwell for a series of World War II paintings that appeared on the covers of 11 issues of The Saturday Evening Post between 1941 and 1946. Gillis was an everyman with the rank of private whose career was tracked on the cover of the Post from induction through discharge without being depicted in battle. He and his girlfriend were modeled by two of Rockwell's acquaintances.

<i>Four Freedoms</i> (Rockwell) 1943 painting series by Norman Rockwell

The Four Freedoms is a series of four oil paintings made in 1943 by the American artist Norman Rockwell. The paintings—Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Worship, Freedom from Want, and Freedom from Fear—are each approximately 45.75 by 35.5 inches, and are now in the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. The four freedoms refer to President Franklin D. Roosevelt's January 1941 Four Freedoms State of the Union address, in which he identified essential human rights that should be universally protected. The theme was incorporated into the Atlantic Charter, and became part of the Charter of the United Nations. The paintings were reproduced in The Saturday Evening Post over four consecutive weeks in 1943, alongside essays by prominent thinkers of the day. They became the highlight of a touring exhibition sponsored by The Post and the U.S. Department of the Treasury. The exhibition and accompanying sales drives of war bonds raised over $132 million.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rubens Peale</span> American museum administrator and painter

Rubens Peale was an American museum administrator and artist. Born in Philadelphia, he was the son of artist-naturalist Charles Willson Peale. Due to his weak eyesight, he did not practice painting seriously until the last decade of his life, when he painted still life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarah Miriam Peale</span> Painter from the United States

Sarah Miriam Peale was an American portrait painter, considered the first American woman to succeed as a professional artist. One of a family of artists of whom her uncle Charles Willson Peale was the most illustrious, Sarah Peale painted portraits mainly of Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C. notables, politicians, and military figures. Lafayette sat for her four times.

<i>The Fairman Rogers Four-in-Hand</i> Painting by Thomas Eakins

The Fairman Rogers Four-in-Hand is an 1879–80 painting by the American painter Thomas Eakins. It shows Fairman Rogers driving a coaching party in his four-in-hand carriage through Philadelphia's Fairmount Park. It is thought to be the first painting to examine precisely, through systematic photographic analysis, how horses move.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shofuso Japanese House and Garden</span> Traditional Japanese garden in Philadelphia, U.S.

Shofuso (Pine Breeze Villa), (Japanese: 松風荘) also known as Japanese House and Garden, is a traditional 17th century-style Japanese house and garden located in Philadelphia's West Fairmount Park on the site of the Centennial Exposition of 1876. Shofuso is a nonprofit historic site with over 30,000 visitors each year and is open to the public for visitation and group tours.

<i>Saying Grace</i> (Rockwell) 1951 painting by Norman Rockwell

Saying Grace is a 1951 painting by American illustrator Norman Rockwell, painted for the cover of The Saturday Evening Post's November 24, 1951, Thanksgiving issue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harriet Cany Peale</span> American painter

Harriet Christina Cany Peale was an American landscape, portrait, and genre painter of the mid-nineteenth century. Although sometimes described as a copyist, a greater share of her oeuvre has been made public in recent years, allowing Cany Peale to earn recognition for her genre and landscape paintings. She has been located in contemporary scholarship as an artist of the Hudson River School.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph Harrison Jr.</span> American mechanical engineer

Joseph Harrison Jr. was an American mechanical engineer, financier and art collector. He made a fortune building locomotives for Russia, and was decorated by Czar Nicholas I for completing the Saint Petersburg-Moscow Railway.

References

  1. "ACES Museum". Historic Germantown. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  2. "Facebook site". ACES Museum. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  3. Civil War Museum of Philadelphia; The Museum's Collection
  4. Crimmins, Peter (28 June 2018). "Philadelphia History Museum shuts its doors indefinitely". WHYY . Retrieved 16 July 2018.
  5. "TUSPM Shoe Museum". Temple University. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
  6. Joe Clark (July 14, 1997). "Americana Starts Here Love Of Rockwell Led To Amassing Museum Treasures". Philly Magazine. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
  7. "Cover Story -- Norman Rockwell's America". Atwater Kent Museum. Archived from the original on 6 January 2015. Retrieved 6 January 2015. On Wednesday, June 16, 1999 Atwater Kent Museum, Philadelphia's history museum, opened Cover Story-Norman Rockwell's America, a major exhibit of all 321 covers that Rockwell created for The Saturday Evening Post from 1916 through 1963. In addition, through September, an original painting, The Ouija Board, Rockwell's illustration for the May 1st, 1920, Post cover, will also be on view. This painting is on loan from Dr. Don and Phyllis Stoltz, who, along with Marshall Stoltz, were curators of the former Curtis Center Museum of Norman Rockwell Art that closed in 1997. The Stoltzes donated that Museum's collection of Post covers to the Atwater Kent.
  8. Diethorn, Karie. "Peale's Philadelphia Museum". Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
  9. Emily Babay (October 19, 2015). "The mansions of Fairmount Park: Historic houses have rich pasts and new uses". philly.com. Philadelphia Media Network (Digital), LLC. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  10. "Neon Museum of Philadelphia closes for good this weekend". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2023-01-08.

See also

List of museums in Pennsylvania List of tourist attractions in Philadelphia}