Visit the Virtual Peale
Experience Baltimore’s historic Peale Museum in a fully immersive 3D environment.
The Virtual Peale is a digital twin of the National Historic Landmark building at 225 Holliday Street — the oldest purpose-built museum structure in the United States. Originally modeled by UMBC’s Imaging Research Center and further developed in partnership with Linden Lab and Virtual Ability, Inc., the project brings Baltimore’s Community Museum into interactive digital space.
Visitors can explore exhibitions, attend live events, participate in guided tours, and engage with public programs from anywhere in the world.
The current installation features a contemporary exhibition by Baltimore media artist and researcher Lee Boot, integrating art, history, and digital interpretation within a fully navigable 3D environment.
A Virtual Museum in Second Life
The Virtual Peale is hosted in Second Life, an immersive online world used by universities, artists, and cultural institutions internationally.
Through customizable avatars, visitors can:
- Explore virtual exhibitions
- Attend talks and performances
- Interact with other participants in real time
Experience experimental digital storytelling
By extending the museum into this platform, The Peale expands access to Baltimore history, supports accessibility for remote audiences, and tests new models for immersive public engagement.
Why Visit a Virtual Museum?
Virtual museums are not replacements for physical spaces — they are extensions of them.
The Virtual Peale allows us to:
- Preserve and interpret a National Historic Landmark building in digital form
- Provide accessible programming to audiences with mobility limitations
- Offer educational experiences for classrooms nationwide
- Host experimental exhibitions using 3D, augmented, and immersive media
Build a global community connected to Baltimore’s cultural history
As part of The Lab @ The Peale, this platform serves as a testing ground for digital storytelling, immersive public history, and future-facing museum engagement.
Whether you are researching Baltimore history, exploring contemporary art, or interested in virtual museum technology, The Virtual Peale offers an accessible and innovative way to experience one of America’s earliest museums.
Using a 3D model of the National Historic Landmark building originally developed by UMBC’s Imaging Research Center, the Peale’s friends at Linden Lab and Virtual Ability, Inc. developed a “virtual Peale” to host exhibitions, events, and tours. Not only does the virtual Peale allow us to welcome visitors even when the physical building may be closed after hours, it also enables us to reach large new audiences who may never have been able to come to Baltimore in person but who increasingly travel in virtual worlds like Second Life.
The latest incarnation of the historic Peale Museum building features a contemporary art exhibition by Baltimore media artist, professor, and researcher Lee Boot.
New to Second Life?
- Install the Second Life viewer to participate in the tour in Second Life.
- Set up your free account from the Virtual Ability website and get logged in! (Picking an avatar is the fun part!)
- Learn some essential skills for moving around and interacting with the environment on the New Resident Orientation Course.
If you need assistance setting up your Second Life account or Avatar, please contact our friends at Virtual Ability.