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SLIDESHOW

The Treasures of Alnwick Castle

Does the Smithsonian Castle Resemble Alnwick?

Alnwick Castle by Caneletto

The Italian artist Canaletto painted Alnwick Castle in the 18th-century.

In 1838, the United States accepted a posthumous bequest of $508,318 from James Smithson, the "illegitimate" cousin of the Duke of Northumberland. Perhaps it was not a coincidence that the original Smithsonian Castle (inset upper left) bore a distant resemblance to Alnwick Castle.

 

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