The Smithsonian's first museum on the Mall devoted exclusively to art, the Freer Gallery possesses an outstanding Asian collection totalling some 27,000 works, and one of the world's largest collections of works by James McNeill Whistler (1834-1903). A highlight of the museum is the Peacock Room, designed by Whistler, featuring painted wall panels, shutters and ceilings. The Freer connects to the Sackler Gallery by an underground passageway.