The Daywood Collection comprises 343 exceptional works of American and European art, including masterpieces by renowned artists such as Frank Weston Benson, Emil Carlsen, Frederick Childe Hassam, Robert Henri, John Henry Twachtman, Andrew Wyeth, and many others.

This wide-ranging collection of prints, paintings, sculpture, and decorative arts is the remarkable legacy of Arthur Spencer Dayton (1887-1948) and Ruth Woods Dayton (1894-1978). The couple, originally from Philippi, West Virginia, became prominent community leaders in Charleston, West Virginia. Between 1916 and 1965, the Daytons developed an astounding art collection. They were students of art history, primarily interested in academically trained artists from the mid-19th to the mid-20th century who worked in the various schools of Realism and Impressionism. They were deeply committed to improving the quality of life for the citizens of this state. Following the death of Arthur Dayton in 1948, Ruth Dayton established a non-profit gallery in Lewisburg, West Virginia, called The Daywood Gallery, a combination of Arthur’s surname, Dayton, and her maiden name, Woods. The collection was displayed there until, ultimately, Ruth Dayton entrusted it to the Huntington Museum of Art in 1967.

In nature, an evergreen is a plant that retains its green leaves throughout the year, which nicely relates to The Daywood Collection and its many vibrant landscape paintings. But the word evergreen also represents a natural evolution in the way the Museum exhibits this perennially popular collection. Beginning with Evergreen: Treasures from The Daywood Collection, selections from The Daywood Collection will be presented in the galleries year-round, on a rotating basis, making some of the Museum’s finest objects more available to visitors.

This exhibit is presented with support from the City of Huntington Mayor’s Council for the Arts.

This exhibit is presented with support from The Isabelle Gwynn and Robert Daine Exhibition Endowment.

This program is presented with financial assistance from the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History, and the National Endowment for the Arts, with approval from the West Virginia Commission on the Arts.