Evergreen Collections

Architecture, paintings, decorative arts, rare books, philanthropy, Baltimore's railroad history, and more. Evergreen Museum & Library, the one-time Italianate country residence of two generations of Baltimore’s philanthropic Garrett family, is celebrated for its holdings of Asian arts—porcelains, lacquer wares, and netsuke (miniature carved ivories); European paintings—including works by Edgar Degas (1834–1917), Amedeo Modigliani (1884-1920), and Ignacio Zuloaga (1870-1945); American art glass — the majority of pieces assigned to Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848-1933); and the John Work Garrett Library of rare books and manuscripts.

This eclectic house-museum also features costume designs, drawings, and a mesmerizing private theatre designed by celebrated Russian émigré Léon Bakst (1866-1924), best known for his set designs for the Ballet Russes. Also of note are the career drawings of regional architect Laurence Hall Fowler (1876-1971); murals by Mexican-born artist Miguel Covarrubias (1904-1957); and paintings by Frenchman Raoul Dufy (1877-1953).

The collections of Evergreen afford a unique perspective regarding the evolution of American collecting taste and connoisseurship, from the country’s post-Civil War industrial revolution to the modern jet age.

Portions of Evergreen’s fine and decorative art collections are represented on-line in the Johns Hopkins University Cultural Properties Database.

Evergreen Museum & Library: Baltimore’s Inspiration for Collecting

Download this essay by Evergreen director and curator James A. Abbott about the treasures at Evergreen and how they were assembled by the Garrett family. (PDF)

Collections:

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  Highlights

  Architecture, paintings, decorative arts, rare books, philanthropy, Baltimore’s railroad history, and more.
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  The Garrett Family

  Evergreen Museum & Library, a former Italianate mansion with classical revival additions, was built in 1857 by Baltimore's Broadbent family. Purchased in 1878 by John W. Garrett, president of the B&O Railroad, for his son, T. Harrison Garrett, Evergreen was home to two generations of the Garrett family.
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  The John Work Garrett Library

  The John Work Garrett Library is a remarkable research library amassed by T. Harrison Garrett and his son The Honorable John Work Garrett, who bequeathed the collection in 1942 to The Johns Hopkins University.
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  Laurence Hall Fowler Study Room

  The Laurence Hall Fowler Study Room houses an extensive collection of drawings and other artifacts associated with the 20th-century Baltimore architect and book collector, Laurence Hall Fowler (1876–1971), who designed additions to Evergreen House under commissions from the Garrett family.