The Crocker in downtown Sacramento is the oldest art museum west of the Mississippi River, founded in 1885. Although it now has a large modern building, the original mansion is still very much a part of the museum — and probably still my favorite part.

Pieta — Portuguese, 16th century

The Unexpected Treat — Karl Roux, 19th century

Nydia, the Blind Flower Girl of Pompeii — Randolph Rogers, 19th century

The Fandango — Charles Christian Nahl, 1873