The Wallace Collection

This guide to the Wallace Collection begins with a scandalous commission behind one of its paintings: a wealthy Parisian courtier's request that became Fragonard's The Swing. It then follows the 4th Marquess of Hertford, who bought the painting in 1865 and spent decades collecting art across Paris and London, amassing more than he had walls to hold. It traces how the collection passed to his illegitimate son Richard Wallace and reached this house. Look closely at The Swing's composition as you listen.