Archives Directory for the History of Collecting in America

Archives related to: Riggs, Lawrason, General, 1861–1940

titleGeneral Lawrason Riggs Papers, 1889–1941
repositoryBaltimore Museum of Art
descriptionThe General Lawrason Riggs (October 17, 1861 - November 22, 1940) Papers reflect the avid print collecting he was involved with during his lifetime.

The most well represented artists in Riggs' collection are Albrecht Duerer (57 prints) and Rembrandt van Rijn (45 prints). The collection represents a wide range of prints from the German, Dutch, Italian, French, English and American schools as well as with Chinese color woodcuts.

The collection is arranged into two series: Receipts and Correspondence and Inventory Lists.

Biographical Information
Brigadier-General Lawrason Riggs (October 17, 1861 - November 22, 1940) was born in New York City to Lawrason Riggs and his third wife, Mary Turpin Riggs. He was the second child born to this wife and the fifth child of his father's ten children. The family relocated to Baltmore in March 1867 and Riggs attended private schools eventually finishing at St. Paul's School in Concord, New Hampshire. He received a degree from Princeton in 1883 and obtained a law degree from the University of Maryland in 1886. He also completed post-graduate work in history and political science at Johns Hopkins University.

Riggs served as the director of the First National Bank and the Mercantile Trust Company. Riggs was a founding member of the Baltimore Museum of Art. He was instrumental in its founding working with the City-Wide Congress Committee and being one of its eight incorporator as well as acquiring its first building, the Garrett-Thomas mansion at 101 West Monument Street. He was an active member of the Maryland Historical Society. He was also involved in civic affairs as the Police Board's president as well as chairing the Municipal Affairs Committee of the Baltimore Association of Commerce and Maryland Training School for Boys president of the board of trustees.

Riggs died as a noted Baltimorean for all his contributions to the community.

Preferred Citation
General Lawrason Riggs Papers, Archives and Manuscripts Collections, The Baltimore Museum of Art



extent0.2 Linear feet
formatsCorrespondence Financial Records Digital Collection
accessThe collection is open for research.
record linkhttp://cdm16075.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/landingpage/collection/p15264coll11
record sourcehttp://www.artbma.org/library/finding_aids/RiggsPapers.pdf
finding aidIn the repository and on the repository's website
updated03/16/2023 10:30:05
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