Object 1: Ceramic tile donated by Ruth Bassett, 1977

The materials within this collection reflect the growth and importance of the Sanderson Museum, its association with the Brandywine Museum of Art, as well as what the Sanderson Museum represents to the Chadds Ford community and those who knew Christian C. Sanderson, including the Wyeth family. The Christian C. Sanderson Museum Collection began with a donation of photographs, ephemera, and artifacts by Ruth Bassett, a board member at the Sanderson Museum and the Brandywine Museum of Art’s first librarian. Notable material within the collection includes a program to Chris Sanderson’s 80th birthday party as well as the commemorative plate designed by Henry T. MacNeill and Jamie Wyeth.

The four folders of materials donated by Ruth Bassett are grouped together at the front and were accessioned under number 51046. Bassett’s materials were part of a larger donation before their inclusion in this artificial collection. The remainder of the collection is from various unknown sources. Folders 5-9 (paper materials) were kept in the order they were discovered in.

A more in-depth look at Chris Sanderson and the museum may be found in the book The Christian Sanderson Museum: Tom Thompson Remembers by Gene Pisasale, two copies of which are in the collection.