Biography:

William Barnes Bement was born in New Hampshire, and throughout his life was engaged in the manufacture of tools. He founded the machine tool manufacturing firm of Bement, Miles and Co. He served on the board of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts from 1874 to his death in 1897, and on several of the standing committees of the board. In 1877 he lent over 20 works from his collection to the Academy annual exhibition.  In addition to collecting art Bement was a bibliophile and avid collector of minerals (10,000 minerals in his collection).  An Independent Republican in politics, he served one term as a member of Common Council, being elected from the Fifteenth Ward on the Republican and Citizen's Committee tickets.  He was a member of the Academy of Natural Sciences, the Franklin Institute, the Union League, and the Manufacturers' Club. At the time of his decease, he was a director of the Bank of the Republic.