ENHANCING THE MUSEUM’S COLLECTION: CHARLES RAND PENNEY

Charles Rand Penney

Niagara University and its Castellani Art Museum will always remember Charles Rand Penney as the man who gave them Niagara Falls.

It was 1982 when avid collector Penney decided to put together a comprehensive collection of prints of Niagara Falls. The result has been called the single largest collection of such images of Niagara Falls ever assembled. The collection starts with a print of Father Louis Hennepin’s description of the cataract dating from 1697 and ends with prints from the early 20th century. Castellani officials were thrilled when Penney offered the opportunity to purchase this collection of 833 etchings, lithographs and engravings of the falls.

“It seemed a natural for our museum,” said Laurene Buckley, former museum director.

Penney agrees.

“Armand Castellani did a great job of collecting in his day and others have followed in his footsteps, including me,” Penney said recently. “I felt with such a world-famous collection of Niagara Falls historical prints, its home belongs in Niagara Falls, and that would be the Castellani Art Museum as the premier art collecting museum in the county.”

The Castellani’s advisory council started soliciting funds, and thanks to a donation by local residents such as Thomas and Candy Lytle, the museum was able to purchase one third of the collection. Penney then gave the remaining two-thirds as an in-kind donation to the university. An exhibit from the collection is currently on view at the museum’s satellite gallery in Niagara Falls.

Penney waves away a question on which print is his favorite. “I like all of them. If I had 12 children, I would never say one was a favorite. They are all my children.”

Penney’s name is well known in art collecting circles. He has donated artwork to museums throughout New York and the rest of the country. The Burchfield-Penney Art Center in Buffalo, as a matter of fact, changed its name in his honor.

His zest for collecting resulted in some 150 different collections, not only of artwork, but also items such as African masks, Staffordshire figurines, antiques and even Mr. Peanut memorabilia. He housed his finds in Lockport, N.Y., along with archives of research he did on the pieces.

Penney collected experiences as well as objects. He has tried everything from car racing to gourmet cooking to riding a camel. Born in 1923 in Buffalo to a leading family of bankers and lawyers, he graduated from Yale and the Law School of the University of Virginia. During World War II, he served as a Chinese language specialist in the Army’s Counter Intelligence Corps. He practiced as an attorney before dedicating his time to world travel and his collections.