The New Hampshire Historical Society’s newest exhibition, “A Legacy of Landscapes: Selections from the Linda and P. Andrews McLane Collection,” displays more than 60 paintings of White Mountain landscape art from a single private collection. Most of these paintings have not been on view to the public for many years.

Over several decades, Linda and P. Andrews McLane of Hebron assembled the preeminent private collection of White Mountain landscape art in the world. A New Hampshire native and Dartmouth College graduate, P. Andrews McLane is a retired venture capitalist with deep ties to New Hampshire. His great-grandfather, John McLane, served as governor of the state in the early 20th century after emigrating with his family from Scotland as a baby. Andy and Linda McLane have been supporters of several New England institutions, including Phillips Exeter Academy, St. Paul’s School, the Appalachian Mountain Club, Dartmouth College, and the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. The McLanes are well-known for their interest in White Mountain landscape art.

“A Legacy of Landscapes” presents a sampling of their private collection, showcasing the work of more than 40 different artists, including Albert Bierstadt, Thomas Cole, Benjamin Champney, Thomas Hill, and Jasper Cropsey. Some of the works are magisterial depictions of New Hampshire’s grandest peaks, while others are more intimate and pastoral scenes. Together, they tell the story of New Hampshire. White Mountain landscape art would become emblematic of the Granite State, capturing its stunning natural beauty and the indomitable spirit of its people. The work created by White Mountain artists helped define American landscape painting.

Among the highlights of the exhibition are an 1827 painting by Thomas Cole entitled “Mount Chocorua, New Hampshire,” one of the earliest White Mountain landscapes ever painted. Cole is known as the father of American landscape art and was the first to bring attention to the White Mountain region as a source of artistic inspiration. He visited New Hampshire three times over the course of his life — the first time in 1827 when he painted “Mount Chocorua, New Hampshire” — and he produced nearly four dozen paintings of New Hampshire.

The McLanes have chosen to donate their extraordinary collection, which numbers more than 300 paintings, to the New Hampshire Historical Society. As a result of this gift, combined with its existing holdings, the Society now has the definitive collection in existence of an artistic style that is at the core of New Hampshire’s identity. The McLanes’ generosity in donating the paintings to the New Hampshire Historical Society makes it one of the largest and most consequential gifts in the organization’s 202-year history. 

“A Legacy of Landscapes” is the inaugural exhibition being held in the New Hampshire Historical Society’s new gallery, also made possible by the philanthropy of the McLanes. This new gallery almost doubles the Society’s available exhibition space and presents opportunities to share more of New Hampshire’s history with the public. 

“A Legacy of Landscapes: Selections from the Linda and P. Andrews McLane Collection” is sponsored by the Turner Group; McLane Middleton; and Catering by Design. The exhibition will be on view through December 31. The New Hampshire Historical Society, located at 30 Park Street in Concord, is open to the public Tuesdays to Saturdays, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $10 for adults. Members of the New Hampshire Historical Society and children age 18 and under are admitted free of charge. Full-time students and active military personnel and their families also are admitted free of charge with a valid ID.