About

About the Hermitage:

Built on the banks of the lovely Lafayette River in Norfolk, Virginia, the Hermitage is a rambling Arts and Crafts mansion designed by William and Florence Sloane. Construction on what was originally conceived as a summer home began in 1908. As the Sloane family grew, so did the Hermitage. The current 42-room configuration was completed in 1936.

The Hermitage is home to the Sloane Collection, an assemblage of fine and decorative art which rivals the house itself in both scope and inventiveness. With over 40,000 objects, the collection spans 5,000 years of art history and represents over 30 countries. As a pioneering patron of early 20th century painters and sculptors, Mrs Florence Sloane is among the pantheon of great American collectors.

About the Contributors:

Lauren Northup, Curator of Collections.

Originally from the mountains of western North Carolina, Lauren is delighted to be up to her elbows in the Sloane Collection. As an undergraduate at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill she double majored in English and art history. She went on to earn her master’s degree in art history at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. After a brief stint in the wild world of art auctioneering, Lauren returned to the States to pursue a career in historic preservation. Previous museum experience includes the Biltmore in Asheville, North Carolina and the Fife Folk Museum in Ceres, Scotland.

Colin Brady, Assistant Curator

After surfing the waters off the coast of the Hermitage for many years, Colin decided to trade his wetsuit for a bowtie and give museum work a try. His undergraduate work at Old Dominion University led to a master’s degree in art history at The University of St Andrews in Scotland. Colin is our resident Asian art specialist.

Lauren and Colin can’t wait to begin sharing the Hermitage collection with a wider ‘virtual’ audience.  Check back soon for exciting updates from the archives and collections storage!