 The 1978 acquisition of Gilbert Stuart's beguiling portrait of Ann Penn Allen (granddaughter of William Allen, the founder of the museum's native Allentown), set the benchmark for the qualitative standards of the collection.In 2016 the museum under the leadership of then director David Mickenberg acquired from the Lehighton, Pennsylvania American Legion post "The Lehighton Mural" by Franz Kline which the artist created for the aforementioned branch of the U.S Veterans organization.Then following intensive the work on the mural by "Luca Bonetti Painting Restoration" the restored painting was unveiled to the public in January 2017.