Marie, Queen of Romania

About Queen Marie of Romania

Queen Marie of Romania (1875-1938) was a friend of Sam Hill who presided over Maryhill Museum of Art’s dedication ceremony on November 3, 1926. Her visit to the United States that year prompted a media frenzy and created a sensation in the Columbia River Gorge when the as-yet-unfinished museum was dedicated. The ceremony attracted a crowd of 2,000, including 400 area schoolchildren and an auto caravan that originated from Portland.

During her visit, Queen Marie delivered more than 100 works of art and personal items to the museum. Today, visitors to Maryhill can see paintings, Russian icons, manuscripts, and the gown Queen Marie wore to the 1896 coronation of her cousins Tsar Nicholas II and Tsarina Alexandra of Russia. A 1923 replica of Queen Marie’s coronation crown, jewelry, and other memorabilia are also on display. Gilded furniture from Romanian royal palaces provides a beautiful backdrop in Queen Marie room. These and other items were acquired by Alma de Bretteville Spreckels and given to the museum in 1951. Queen Marie’s 1926 gift of Romanian textiles provides the basis for a collection of Romanian folk dress that now includes 400 items.

The video below shows historic footage of Queen Marie’s historic visit to dedicate Maryhill Museum of Art for her friend Samuel Hill.

In the variety of art objects she carried with her in 1926, were some fine Russian icons. The icon collection has since grown—through donation and purchases—and now includes more than 25 items.