Harold Carsten Hanson donated 29 Inuit carvings, three paintings and one print to the Fine Arts Collection in 1993. The collection is in honor of Hanson's deceased wife, Arlone Kruegel Hanson (LC 1939-1941). It was during numerous trips to Canada and the Arctic from the early 1950s through the mid-1970s that Hanson acquired the carvings. Most of the works in the Hanson Collection are carved from soapstone with the use of metal handsaws, drills, knives and files. Additional materials include walrus ivory and caribou antler. While carving is a primary form of Inuit art, it should be noted that these works represent a diverse group of people whose individual visions also find expression through printmaking, drawing, painting, and ceramics. The Hanson Collection also includes a few paintings by Norwegian-American artists and by the British artist Peter Scott.

After his death, Dr. Hanson's personal library was also donated to Preus Library. Consisting of books relating to the Arctic, ornithology and indigenous Canadian groups, his donation also contained books on Norwegian-American history and culture.

The Inuit carvings in the collection were acquired by Dr. Hanson during a transitional
period in Inuit culture. Prior to the 1950s, Inuit carving was mostly a functional or
recreational activity. Increased acculturation following World War II resulted in a shift
from "traditional" to "contemporary" carvings intended as trade objects. Today carving is
almost exclusively an art-for-sale activity marketed through venues such as the Hudson’s
Bay Company, galleries and museums, and artists’ cooperatives. What has not changed is
the desire on the part of the carver to achieve a likeness, real or imagined, which draws
from the environmental context of Arctic life. Most of the works in the Hanson
Collection are carved from soapstone with the use of metal handsaws, drills, knives and
files. Additional materials include walrus ivory and caribou antler. While carving is a
primary form of Inuit art, it should be noted that these works represent a diverse group of
people whose individual visions also find expression through printmaking, drawing,
painting, and ceramics.
The Hanson Collection also includes a painting by the British artist Peter Scott, son of
famed Antarctic explorer Robert Falcon Scott, which depicts Canada geese in flight.
Additionally, two other paintings by the Norwegian-American artists, Emil Biorn (Viking
at Signal Fire on Mountain Top) and Karl Ouren (Harbor at Lofoten Islands) were
donated. Both Norwegian-American artists were Chicago residents for many years. The
print donated by Hanson is a well-known image entitled "Petra" by David Roberts. These
works were donated in 1993 and 1994.