PALETTES AND PLACES:
Landscapes in Miniature 

 2026 Period Room Intervention
January 13 – May 24, 2026

Shenandoah Valley by Robert Seldon Duncanson RGB96 1200pxwRobert S. Duncanson (American, 1821 - 1872). Shenandoah Valley, c. 1856 - 1860. Meyer Fine Art Gallery.

Palettes & Places: Landscapes in Miniature marks the Museum’s first-ever period room intervention, an exciting new initiative encouraging visitors to linger a little longer in the period rooms and discover something they’ve never noticed before. Featuring more than one hundred nineteenth-century miniature landscape paintings lent by Julie and Michael Meyer, owners of the Meyer Fine Art Gallery in Fredericksburg, Virginia, this exhibition transforms Whitehall’s historic second-floor guest rooms. Each space is thoughtfully curated so that the miniatures harmonize with its distinctive color palette, guiding visitors on a visual journey from mountain to sea as they cross each threshold. Experience Whitehall’s second floor anew through this intimate interplay of color, light, and landscape.

The original version of this exhibition was presented at the Redwood Library & Athenaeum as This Drop of Earth: American Landscape Miniatures 1840-1890 and curated by Caroline Culp.

Jasper Francis Cropsey View of the Hudson RGB 96Wednesday, January 21, 2026
Period Room Intervention Lecture:
The Art of Collecting with Michael Meyer and Campbell Mobley
5:30 pm Doors open, 6:00 pm Lecture

From baseball cards to Hudson River School landscapes, Michael Meyer’s passion for collecting has been a lifelong pursuit of beauty and meaning. What began as a childhood fascination evolved into a distinguished career uncovering exceptional American art. After decades as a private dealer in New York, Meyer and his wife Julie opened Meyer Fine Art Gallery in Virginia, where his scholarship and keen eye continue to shape the field. This talk, connected to the Museum's first Period Room Intervention, will highlight Meyer’s enduring appreciation for the American landscape, seen in miniature, reflecting a collector’s lifelong dialogue with art, history, and nature.

Jasper Francis Cropsey (American, 1832 - 1900).
View of theHudson, 1858. Meyer Fine Art Gallery.