The Wallace Collection consists of historical pieces (paintings, jewelery, porcelain, furniture, armor and coins) from the private collection of Richard Wallace. The largest part of the collection is French 18th-century art with, among other things, a state portrait of Louis XV and a canvas by Jean-Honoré Fragonard. In addition, the collection has 26 canvases by Jean-Baptiste Greuze, thirty by François Boucher, and ten by Jean-Antoine Watteau; only the Louvre does better with fourteen canvases. Rembrandt, Willem van Mieris, Frans Hals and other masters such as Diego Velázquez also completes the collection.
His widow donated the collection to the Empire in 1897. The museum opened its doors in 1900.
Like most museums in London, this museum is also free of charge.