The exhibition seeks to situate Horace Walpole in the context of eighteenth-century British philanthropy. Walpole lived in an age that prided itself on the extent of its generosity to the needy. His friend Hannah More described the era as the “age of benevolence.” Yet while Walpole was familiar with many leading philanthropists, he is not known as a supporter of good causes himself; indeed, after his death, he was accused of being uncharitable and even blamed for the suicide of the young poet Thomas Chatterton, who sought Walpole’s financial assistance in vain.

The exhibition shows Walpole’s gravitation toward outlandish cases, and active involvement in several high-profile philanthropic campaigns. Walpole could be disparaging in his remarks about philanthropy, but visitors are encouraged to weigh his private generosity. Walpole regarded philanthropy as a means to cultivate the curious and eccentric, a discernibly queer philanthropic vision in which he himself played the role of “knight errant of the distressed.”

The exhibition is open in person at the Lewis Walpole Library, Farmington CT, on Wednesday afternoons and online.