The furniture collection at Drexel consists of materials purchased by Drexel University’s first president, James MacAlister, who was sent abroad to purchase materials for Drexel that demonstrated good design and craftsmanship. His purchases included a number of Jacobean revival chairs and a chest, as well as a hand-carved doorframe that was originally installed at the entrance of the Drexel Museum on the first floor of the Main Building. Since those original purchases, furniture has been donated to the Founding Collection by Drexel family, friends, alumni, faculty and staff. We continue to collect furniture for the Founding Collection that is used to study design by our students.

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Please be advised that some of the images in this online gallery may include derogatory, offensive, of graphic images or original language and may not be suitable for all viewers. All images, titles and inscriptions are products of their time and their creators and not the views of the Drexel Founding Collection. The Drexel Founding Collection continues to catalog the works of art in the collection while addressing shifts in language and society. We appreciate any input to improve our cataloging efforts and the understanding of our collection.