2026 loan exhibit

Marks of Friendship:
250 Years of U.S. Diplomatic Treasures

Chairs: Marcia Mayo and Andrea Tracey

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Presented by
Fund to Conserve United States Diplomatic Treasures Abroad →

In partnership with
Department of State Office of Cultural Heritage →

Leaders of civilizations have presented or accepted artifacts, among other items, as symbols of friendship, peace or collaboration for thousands of years. The exchange of ideas, trade, culture, and gifts has marked the relationships of the United States from the colonists’ efforts to become an independent nation to the present day. Marks of Friendship: 250 Years of Diplomatic Treasures is a rare opportunity to see select objects, including fine and decorative arts, drawn from U.S. diplomatic posts around the world. These objects are more than artifacts, furnishings and art; they are gestures of diplomacy.

The exhibition showcases objects that tell the story of America’s rise from its humble beginnings as a small, experimental republic to the heights of world leadership over the last two and half centuries. The exhibition is presented by The Fund to Conserve U.S. Diplomatic Treasures Abroad and its public sector partner, the U.S. State Department Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations Office of Cultural Heritage. 

The pieces featured in the exhibition are a fraction of the heritage collection that the Office of Cultural Heritage stewards to help support America’s representation and diplomacy across the globe.  

“I present to you the sincere acknowledgements and thanks of the United States for the important mark of your friendship...”

— President George Washington, December 1, 1789 to the Sultan of Morocco formalizing America’s first diplomatic relationship

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