The Bayou Bend collection traces the evolution of design and technology from colonial times to the Victorian era and illustrates the development of domestic rituals and social customs.

Paintings in the collection present a remarkably comprehensive survey of major American artists between 1700 and 1860. The paintings document the genesis and development of the fine arts in America with the fusion and modification of imported artistic traditions into the national aesthetic. The collection includes such American masters of the genre as John Smibert, John Singleton Copley, Gilbert Stuart, and several members of the Peale family.

Furniture, approximately 400 objects, is the collection s greatest strength, comprising the full range of forms and styles from the early colonial period until the Civil War. Much of the furniture represents the workmanship of such master craftsmen as John Townsend, Duncan Phyfe, and John Henry Belter.

Textiles comprise approximately 250 examples, primarily of American origin between 1650 and 1900, and include carpets, upholstery, bed coverings, and bed and window hangings, in addition to items of clothing and needlework.

Metals include gold, silver, brass, pewter, and iron, providing vivid depiction of the wide-ranging functions of objects within American culture. American silver is well represented with examples by most of the important shops and documents a full range of both functional forms and regional treatments of those forms.

The ceramics and glass collection is particularly strong in the area of English ceramics, which comprised the bulk of tablewares in American households throughout the colonial period. The colonial period is represented through tin-glazed earthenwares, salt-glazed stonewares, and various lead-glazed pieces, including agatewares, Whieldon-type

The archives contain a significant body of materials relating to the development of the Bayou Bend collection and the evolution of the installation, early Texas history, and the Hogg family. Substantial research by staff and docents on object provenance, history, and use is maintained and regularly updated in the object files.

Education is central to Bayou Bend 's public service role. While Bayou Bend serves a traditional audience interested in the history of decorative arts, the museum also interprets the collection from other perspectives, such as personal, social, and cultural history. Recognizing that people have different learning styles, Bayou Bend offers a variety of hands-on activities that help visitors interpret the collection. Specialized thematic tours and a range of family programs encourage repeat visitation, while free family days and school tours help to diversify the museum s audience. The museum reaches teachers and students through tours, teacher in-service, and outreach exhibitions. Self-guided audio tours are also available to visitors. Through these activities, Bayou Bend hopes to involve all people in the study of American cultural history, in order to foster an understanding of people and patterns of living in the past and present. Education programs are developed by a professional staff educator in association with the director, curator, and appropriate consultants. The staff consults with teachers and administrators from public and private schools and universities to ensure that school programs are age- appropriate and meet curriculum objectives. The education director works closely with curriculum-writing specialists from the Houston Independent School District to integrate the collection and interpretive programs into the American history curriculum, particularly at the fifth-and eighth-grade levels.

In 1975, the museum published Bayou Bend: American Furniture, Paintings, and Silver from the Bayou Bend Collection, and an expanded and updated catalogue will be published in1998. In 1988, the museum completed Bayou Bend: The Interiors and the Gardens, which chronicles the museum s history and provides a guide to the rooms and garden settings