Henry Plumer McIlhenny

Who was Henry Plumer McIlhenny?

Henry Plumer McIlhenny was an American connoisseur of art and antiques, world traveler, socialite, philanthropist and the chairman of the Philadelphia Art Museum.

His passion for art and collecting was inculcated by his parents, Frances Galbraith and John Dexter McIlhenny, who also played an active role in the Philadelphia Art Museum.

For half a century his involvement with the museum was legendary. First serving as a curator from 1939 – 1964 he became the chairman of the board in 1976. During his years at Harvard, from which he was graduated magna cum laude with a degree in Fine Arts in 1933, Paul J. Sachs also influenced his future collecting.

During the World War II he served in the United States Naval Reserve, with one and a half years on the USS Bunker Hill in the Pacific theater. He was photographed in his uniform by George Platt Lynes.

During his lifetime his collections of French masterpieces, 18th and 19th century silver, furniture and other decorative arts were housed in both his Rittenhouse Square townhouse and at Glenveagh Castle, his country house in County Donegal, part of the Province of Ulster in Ireland. Many acquisitions were made through his interior designers Denning & Fourcade of New York City and Paris. His summer entertaining at Glenveagh Castle included the likes of Charlie Chaplin, Clark Gable, Greta Garbo and Derek Hill.