Glen Foerd’s unique collection shows an eclectic range in style and period. Collected primarily by Caroline Foerderer and her daughter Florence Foerderer Tonner, this group of paintings brings together work from the Renaissance to the twentieth century that would have never been in conversation otherwise. 

The collection began with a large purchase of works by great masters of religious art, landscape painting, and portraiture, in 1899, shortly after the Foerderer family acquired the Glen Foerd estate. Florence Foerderer Tonner continued to collect new work until the end of her life in 1971, adding variety and modernity to the collection. She favored works on paper and artists local to Philadelphia, many of them women. A number of the artists Florence supported were challenging social norms or fighting for representation in a predominantly male field, while other paintings within the collection were created by women like her, who dabbled in art alongside their passion for patronage.  

In the art gallery today, a fifteenth century Venetian sits next to a painting of mirrored standard poodles by a self-taught artist. Random? Maybe. Nevertheless, these extraordinary works demonstrate a breadth of artistic backgrounds, influences, and movements that make Glen Foerd’s collection an endless source of curiosity and inspiration.

Research for this project was completed by Marygrace Kennedy. We also thank Ryan Reaves-Piercy for their work on the online exhibition.