Tunbridge Wells Museum was founded in 1885 but its collection of oil paintings was acquired mainly after 1952. This was the year in which the Ashton Bequest of 31 Victorian oil paintings, collected by local resident Alfred Ashton, was received. Ashton purchased these works between 1852 and 1863, either from the artists' studios or when they exhibited their latest work at the Royal Academy or British Institution. Most of the other oil paintings in the museum collection form part of a wider collection of local scenes in various media. The most significant are mid-Victorian works by local artist Charles Tattershall Dodd I. Since the 1960s the museum has acquired and commissioned a number of works by contemporary artists who have depicted the town's changing scenery and architecture. These continue, for later generations, the historical record provided by Victorian artists such as Charles Tattershall Dodd I. Tunbridge Wells Museum shares the story of the people of Tunbridge Wells and the surrounding area, and the natural environment that provides a backdrop for the human story. It features natural history, archaeology, costume, toys, and the local craft of Tunbridge ware. The Art Gallery shows a wide range of regularly changing exhibitions.