The Peacock Room

After our "money" tour we walked through the Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery . The galleries are mostly dedicated to the huge collections of American and Asian art amassed by Charles Lang Freer. His interest in Asian Art came from his friendship with American artist James McNeill Whistler whose work was heavily influenced by Japanese prints and Chinese ceramics.

The highlight for us was The Peacock Room, a dining room painted by Whistler for a wealthy London businessman. Mom just happens to have an obsession a collection of peacocks in her home and years ago I had given her a book that I'd found about The Peacock Room. You can read the story behind this famous room by clicking on the link from the webpage. After reading about the history of the room, I think Whistler must have been quite a character.