Erna and Richard Flagg The works on display are the result of a lifetime of careful collecting by the Flaggs, who met just before Richard bought his first clock. Married in 1932, the couple came to Milwaukee in 1942, where Richard made his fortune as a producer of high-quality leatherworks. The couple began collecting seriously in the 1950s, an occupation that lasted the rest of their lives. In a 1978 speech, Richard Flagg said, "Collecting is like hunger that wants to satisfy your heart and soul and feast your eyes. . . Collecting, in itself, however, would be unfulfilling unless one can share that joy with others."