General Lieutenant Otto W. Furuhjelm (1819-1883) gained his military training in Finland, but made his career in the Russian forces. In his will he stipulated that his art collection should form the basis for a local museum to be established in Helsinki, nowadays the Helsinki City Museum.
      Collecting art was a fashionable pastime and private aristocratic collections were typical of the time. General Furuhjelm had bought his works mostly from St Petersburg,

but on his travels he also made acquisitions on the international art market.
     Among the 58 works in the collection there is renaissance art from Italy and the Netherlands, but also contemporary painting from the mid-nineteenth century. A particularly interesting group is formed by the works of the Russian artists, which show Furuhjelm's predilection for landscape and hunting themes.