A few weeks ago, I attended a gathering hosted by Penn State Harrisburg to honor my mentor, friend and now retired professor of American Studies, Dr. Irwin Richman. The evening celebrated his birthday and supported the scholarship funds that many of his former students have contributed to in his honor. Irwin is well-known in both museum and collector circles throughout central Pennsylvania. At Adamstown, he has been a regular Sunday buyer of European and American fine and decorative arts for more than three decades. Academically, he has written more than 30 books on a host of subjects on art, architecture, gardening and the decorative arts. For many of us in the museum world, he has been our mentor and teacher. At one time, nearly every museum and historical society in southcentral Pennsylvania was staffed, and in most cases led, by his former students. The evening was filled with lots of speeches and tributes. One theme that ran through the evening was about Irwins collection of art and antiques. For those who know him, the exhibition of his collection, in a salon style, was his way of showcasing a lifetime of collecting. Every space in his home was covered with paintings from floor to ceiling. Even the thermostat might have a work hanging from the box. This style of installation was not something that he invented but rather goes back in time to the Renaissance princes in Italy and thence to Victorian and Edwardian collectors in this country. It was couched at the heart of all collectors, the desire to showcase their collections. This is a style that we have in our home and, as I learned from others at the dinner, has been replicated by many others as well. I smiled as I heard students and colleagues talk about creating salon installations of their collections in their home. And then I thought back to that hideous group that is the bane of the antiques world, minimalists. Even back in the 1980s when I had Irwin as a student, there were classmates who were aghast at showing so much art. They would rather have one picture on the wall and nothing else. To them the idea of a salon installation was too much. In todays world, minimalism seems to be a dominant trend. During Covid, I binge watched lots of decorator channels and was aghast at the Spartan interiors that people created for themselves. And their view, this ubiquitous less is better approach, is so they can appreciate the few things they have. Or, its I like fewer things because I do not believe in materialism. Of course, when you look at what they have, you realize they love materialism, of the expensive, new, modern kind. But that is another story. The lesson for me for the evening was how the taste of a single person can not only influence others but can also speak to the heart of being a collector. There are the collectors who hide their treasures away and never lend them to museum exhibits, never share them with family or friends, and end up often being lost because no one cares about them. Then there are collectors who showcase their collections in big and bold ways to show them to family, friends, the public and others. Thats a heck of a legacy. Happy birthday, Dr. Richman! Born to collect should be the motto of Peter Seiberts family. Raised in Central Pennsylvania, Seibert has been collecting and writing about antiques for more than three decades. By day, he is a museum director and has worked in Pennsylvania, Wyoming, Virginia and New Mexico. In addition, he advises and consults with auction houses throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, particularly about American furniture and decorative arts. Seiberts writings include books on photography, American fraternal societies and paintings. He and his family are restoring a 1905 arts and crafts house filled with years worth antique treasures found in shops, co-ops and at auctions.