Charles Lang Freer

Charles Lang Freer
1916 photograph portrait by Edward Steichen.
Born(1854-02-25)February 25, 1854
Kingston, New York, United States
DiedSeptember 25, 1919(1919-09-25) (aged 65)
New York City, New York, United States
Resting placeWiltwyck Cemetery
41°55′24.4″N 74°00′21.2″W / 41.923444°N 74.005889°W / 41.923444; -74.005889
OccupationBusinessman
Known forCollector of Asian and American art.

Charles Lang Freer (February 25, 1854 – September 25, 1919) was an American industrialist, art collector, and patron. He is known for his large collection of East Asian, American, and Middle Eastern art. In 1906, Freer donated his extensive collection to the Smithsonian Institution, making him the first American to bequeath his private collection to the United States.[1] To house the objects, including The Peacock Room by James McNeill Whistler, Freer funded the construction of the Freer Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

  1. ^ Pope, John A. (1969). "The Freer Gallery of Art". Records of the Columbia Historical Society, Washington, D.C. 69/70: 380–398.