9/18 Maryhill Art Museum

I was here about 15 years ago, but decided it was worth a second trip.  This art museum was built as a home in 1907 but was never lived in.  It is prominently situated on the north side of the Columbia River on a high bluff overlooking the river.  Even if you do not like art, it is worth a trip here to just look at the river from this height.  The first photo is looking east along the river and the second looks west.

 Lewis and Clark passed here and recorded it in their journals.

 And the diagonal road on the opposite side of the river is a section of the Oregon Trail!

 

This is the museum itself.  

Strangely, the owner of the home, Sam Hill, was a friend of Marie, who was the Queen of Romania and a grand-daughter of Queen Victoria!  She traveled widely and came here for the 1926 dedication of the museum. This entrance floor room is filled with things she owned and donated.  

Who would think that on an isolated bluff along the Columbia River, you could find a gown worn at the coronation of the Tsar of Russia and King Edward VII of England? The angle of this photo is not ideal, but there were a lot of reflections from windows, so it was the best I could do. The train must have been 20' long.

 

Wedding gifts to then Princess Marie. 

 Some items made by Faberge that belonged to Queen Marie.

A replica of her crown.  The original was destroyed so she commissioned this one in gilt silver instead of gold, like the original. 

And this is a locket given to her for her first birthday by Queen Victoria of Great Britain. 

And in the basement is a collection of works by Rodin, who also was a friend of Sam Hill. 

There is also an Northwest Indian collection. I took only a few photos of things I found interesting. 

 

 

These "woven bottles" were made for sale to tourists, but I was impressed with the fineness of the work.

And these baskets were only about 4" wide, so the weaving is very fine on these also. 

 Some Eskimo masks and baskets.

This is a waterproof jacket made from seal intestines. 

And a bow drill.

 These are desert Indian items.

I have a very small image similar to this one. It is a storyteller, and can be identified by all the children who have climbed on the person to hear the stories!  

I thought this war club from California was interesting. 

 Headed back to my motorhome.  There are several very pleasant benches to sit on, so I took advantage of one and made a phone call, as the service was good up here.