Philadelphia’s Gilded Age is synonymous with wealthy industrialists and the opulence left in their wake. Most people can rattle off the names: Wanamaker, Drexel, Elkins, Widener, et al. What about Anna Wilstach? If you have never heard of her, you are not alone.

Wilstach had all the trappings of her privileged class. A rich husband, a mansion on Rittenhouse Square, servants, and an art collection valued in the millions in today’s currency. While her life was not remarkable in the elite circles in which she traveled, Wilstach’s philanthropy was exceptional by any standard. She helped launch the Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA), and her endowment continues to underwrite PMA’s purchase of important acquisitions.

Dr. Brian D. Seymour, associate professor of art history at Community College of Philadelphia, traces Wilstach’s legacy to a pivotal event. “In 1864, there were very few places in the United States to see art. A Civil War Union Army fundraising event, the Great Central Fair, was held in Logan Square featuring a big art gallery with paintings stacked to the sky,” Seymour explained. President Abraham Lincoln attended the fair, as did Philadelphia’s elite, including Anna and her husband William P. Wilstach, and the general public. No one had ever seen such a display of European art in the United States. The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City would not exist for over a quarter of a century.

A daguerreotype portrait of Anna H. Wilstach taken circa 1846. | Photo courtesy of The Historical Society of Pennsylvania

That same year, William, a saddlery hardware manufacturer, retired. The couple embarked upon building a European art collection which eventually anchored PMA. It may well have been at this time that Anna first grasped the concept that viewing fine art could enhance quality of life for the general public. Yet, her name is not to be found anywhere in the museum she helped create.

“The original Wilstach Collection of 381 objects and endowment belonged to Anna’s husband William H. Wilstach who predeceased her by 22 years,” said Jennifer Thompson, curator of European art and sculpture at PMA. “During those years, Anna invested wisely, doubling the value of her husband’s estate. More importantly, she constantly and methodically revised her will to reflect, not just her husband’s wishes, but her own. Leaving her name out of her bequest was typical in the Victorian era,” said Thompson.

In other ways, Anna was ahead of her time. According to his will, William thought visitors to his proposed museum should buy a subscription. Anna’s bequest made it clear that the Wilstach Collection was “for the enjoyment and benefit of the public… for free.” This was a radical concept in the late 19th century when there were no public art museums in the city. Visiting the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts required a subscription well above the means of the average citizen. While William only gifted funds to a handful of institutions, Anna’s will endowed 50 Philadelphia organizations, including hospitals, schools, churches, and charities.

Bust of William P. Wilstach, 1870 by artist William Henry Rinehart. | Image courtesy of Philadelphia Museum of Art

However, Anna adhered to her husband’s wishes that the collection was to be displayed in Memorial Hall, the Beaux Arts building in West Fairmount Park that served as a gallery of industrial art for the 1876 Centennial Exposition and is now the Please Touch Museum. “At the time of her bequest, half the gallery housed the Pennsylvania Museum of Decorative Arts and the Wilstach Collection was to be displayed in the other half, giving the city its first collection of European paintings,” said Thompson. When the Philadelphia Museum of Art opened in 1932 the Wilstach Collection moved there along with its endowment.

Most of the original collection is no longer at PMA. “Anna and her husband collected what was contemporary art in 1870s. Victorian taste was sentimental, and she was aware that taste changed. She wanted it to be a living collection reflecting the best and highest art,” Thompson explained. “We have a dozen works from the original collection that remain on view, but we have sold things and reinvested those funds which allow us to buy extraordinary art. She left a robust endowment with specific wishes how it adds to the culture richness of City of Philadelphia. Anna’s bequest in 1892 has enabled us to buy 16,000 acquisitions over the years, starting with The Annunciation by African American artist Henry Ossawa Tanner in 1899, Cezanne’s The Large Bathers in 1937, and Ruben’s Prometheus Bound ,” said Thompson.

Trinity Memorial Church hosts an annual concert series in its sanctuary. | Photo courtesy of Trinity Memorial Church

Another act of generosity undertaken while Anna was still alive continues to directly impact the quality of life in Philadelphia. Following the untimely death of her 16 year-old daughter, and, later, her husband and only surviving daughter, Anna was bereft. Rather than closing herself off from the world, she opened herself to the needs of others. In memory of her late daughter, Anna purchased land on the southwest corner of 22nd and Spruce Streets for $50,000 and paid for the construction of Trinity Memorial Church. It was designed by architect James P. Sims. When Trinity Memorial opened, three years after Anna Wilstach’s death in 1895, it was not just another church, but a mission that offered classes for immigrants and where anyone could worship without paying for a pew. Anna, who spent over $1,000 for her own pew at The Church of the Holy Trinity four blocks away, knew what she was doing.

“Anna Wilstach followed a familiar Victorian pattern in which grief was turned into civic engagement,” said Michael J. Krasulski, historian of  the Episcopal Diocese of Philadelphia. “That little church, which she built and endowed, became a powerhouse for social justice. Although it is one of the smaller Episcopalian churches in Philadelphia, Trinity Memorial became an early center of progressive ministry,” he explained. “Starting in the 1960s, it took the lead in the ordination of women and outreach to the LGBTQ+ community,”

On Saturday, October 18, Trinity Memorial Church will host The Power of Generosity: Celebrating the Enduring Legacy of Anna Wilstach in Philadelphia at 2212 Spruce Street. The symposium, part of the church’s 150th anniversary celebration, is free and open to the public. Register for the event here: https://sites.google.com/trinityat22nd.org/celebratingourfounder/home