Decorative Arts Highlights

Telfair Museums' decorative arts collection began with the 1875 bequest of Mary Telfair's house and furnishings and was significantly increased with a similar bequest by Margaret Gray Thomas in 1951, which included the Owens-Thomas House & Slave Quarters. Many of the other objects in the collection are likewise tied to Savannah, either as the location of their creation or through the families who once owned them. As Telfair continues to grow the collection through gifts and purchases, it strives to obtain objects that will help tell more inclusive stories about the city and decorative arts more broadly.