Thayer, Sallie Casey
type Collector
dates 1856-1925
city Kansas City
stateMO
other citiesLouisville, KY;
sex F
history Sallie Casey Thayer was a Kansas City art collector and advocate who left her collection to the University of Kansas for them to form a museum and to encourage the study of fine arts. Based on Thayer’s gifts the University of Kansas Museum of Art was established in 1928.

Nee Sally Casey the daughter of Hon. James B. Casey, of Covington, KY, in 1880, she was married to Kansas City merchant William Bridges Thayer (1852-1907). William died shortly after the construction of the family’s 15-room stone mansion, “Sevenoaks,” at 4570 Walnut.

After the death of her husband, Sallie traveled the world amassing her collection which included rare books, American, Japanese and Chinese paintings and prints, Persian rugs, Indian shawls and Renaissance embroideries, sculpture, drawings, furniture, ceramics, glassware, and other examples of decorative arts.


Thayer purchased 62 surimono prints from Frank Lloyd Wright (Dusenbury, Mary M. Flowers, dragons & pine trees: Asian textiles in the Spencer Museum of Art. Hudson Hills Press, 2004. pg 6).
decades1900-1910
1910-1920
1920-1930
websitehttp://www.spencerart.ku.edu/about/history.shtml
updated 10/31/2024 13:33:19
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Repository Description Links
University of Kansas
Art & Architecture Library,Spencer Museum of Art
University of Kansas Museum of Art records see details...
University of Kansas
Art & Architecture Library,Spencer Museum of Art
Personal Papers of Sallie C. Thayer see details...