National Galleries of Scotland  National Library of Scotland

BACKGROUND

The renowned collections in the National Library and the National Galleries of Scotland reflect the country's rich cultural heritage as well as its many ties to North America – from American John Singer Sargent’s striking portrait of Lady Agnew of Lochnaw to a signed copy of George Washington's "Official Letters to the Honorable American Congress."

The inventiveness and creativity of the Scottish people shine in the literary and artistic works represented in the Library’s and Galleries’ collections, which also showcase Scotland’s gifts to the world – golf, whisky, the decimal point, television, the postage stamp, radar, the telephone, Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the bicycle, penicillin, Auld Lang Syne, logarithms, the Encyclopedia Britannica, anesthesia, the steam engine, James Bond, the pneumatic tire and the hypodermic needle to name just a few achievements.

In 2011, the American associations of these two premier cultural institutions formed a partnership to help share this legacy in North America and raise awareness of Scotland's heritage. The American Patrons of the National Library and Galleries of Scotland seeks to increase awareness in North America of the dynamic work of these two institutions; to identify and acquire items of artistic and historic value to Scotland; and to raise funds for initiatives at both institutions.