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businessman’s wife who displayed a cast of a bronze by “Bologny” (i.e., Giambologna) and announced that she was going to put pantaloons on it before receiving guests. 15 In contrast, Eliza’s knowledgeable appreciation for art demonstrated cultivation and taste. Her envisioned peers were not the nouveaux riches, but rather British aristocrats who were purchasing masterpieces in Paris: the likes of Quentin Crauford, the Duke of Devonshire, the Duke of Hamilton, and Sir Charles Stuart. 16 Her home, like theirs, could become a lodestone for wealthy and cultivated visitors.
    That said, Eliza may have had more than one motive. The chronologic and stylistic scope of her collection, the inclusion of something to suit every taste, raises the question of whether it was compiled, at least in part, with future resale value in mind. Quality rather than quantity would have been a more sensible choice for a collection designed to have sustained value on the European market. However, if she envisioned returning to the United States, where few people had seen authentic works by the Old Masters, a diverse collection, with a solid sprinkling of works by (purportedly) well-known artists, might have commercial potential. If this was her aim, she would soon have the opportunity to put her strategy to the test. In April 1817, after less than two years in France, Eliza decided abruptly to return to New York alone.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
    I am deeply grateful to the staff of the many archives, libraries, and museums where I conducted my research for accommodating my endless requests for manuscripts and books. I would like to single out for special mention the New-York Historical Society, the New York Public Library, and the Division of Old Records of the New York County Clerk’s Office. I spent many months delving into the collections of each of these institutions.
    Without the following people, who offered special assistance in many and various ways, I could not have completed this project: Bruce Abrams, Archivist (retired), Division of Old Records, New York County Clerk’s Office; Cherry Fletcher Bamberg, FASG; Jessica Becker, Public Services, Manuscripts and Archives, Yale University Library; Teri Blasko, Local History Librarian, Saratoga Springs Public Library; Paul Campbell, City Archivist, Providence City Hall; Ken Carlson, Reference Archivist, Rhode Island State Archives; Sofie Church, Junior Cataloguer, Sotheby’s Old Master Paintings, London; Tracy L. Croce, Local Government Records Analyst, Rhode Island State Archives; Robert Delap, Assistant, Department of Rights and Reproductions, New-York Historical Society; Lindsey Felice, Special Collections and PreservationAssistant, Oberlin College Library; Christine Filippelli, Head of Adult Services, Troy Public Library; Peter Flass; Françoise Hack, Assistant Director Collections, John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art; Agnes Hamberger, Saratoga Springs History Museum; Tammy Kiter, Manuscript Reference Librarian, New-York Historical Society Museum and Library; Colette Lamothe; Thomas Lannon, Assistant Curator, Manuscripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library; Joseph Lapinski, Assistant Archivist, Trinity Wall Street Archives; Daniel Legatino, Trinity Cemetery and Mausoleum; Laura K. O’Keefe, Head of Cataloging and Special Collections, New York Society Library; Brigitte Pallas, Médiatrice culturelle et agent de traitement des fonds, Archives départementales, Conseil général des Landes; Anne Petrimoulx, Archivist, Trinity Wall Street Archives; Erin Schreiner, Special Collections Librarian, New York Society Library; Barbara Sicko, Registrar, Bob Jones University Museum & Gallery; Andrew Smith, Administrative Assistant, Rhode Island Supreme Court Judicial Records Center; Matthew Spady; Gabriel Swift, Reference Librarian, Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, Princeton University Library; Joseph Van Nostrand, Archivist in Charge, Division