The museum is an "exhibition house" and displays a collection of English Georgian, Regency and Louis XV artworks that were a bequest from William Robert Johnston (1911-1986), a prominent antique dealer, real estate investor and collector, to the people of Victoria.

The Collection is displayed in a regularly changed domestic setting, in his former residence, Fairhall, an historic East Melbourne townhouse.

In accordance with Johnston’s wishes, the Collection is displayed in a domestic setting within Fairhall, without labels, ropes or barriers.

Johnston often brought his decorating skills to the fore, rearranging the furniture, not only in Fairhall but also his country property Chandpara and his shop Kent Antiques in High St, Armadale, to make little vignettes within the spaces.

These have included Lynne Landy and Lady Potter, fashion designer Akira Isogawa, decorator Robert Thomson, and antique dealers Jamie Allpress and Francis Dunn.