What: Winterthur
(pronounced “winter-tour”) is the premier museum of American decorative arts,
with an unparalleled collection of nearly 90,000 objects made or used in
America between about 1640 and 1860.
The collection is displayed in a magnificent 175-room house as well as
in permanent and changing exhibition galleries.
Who: In the early 20th century, H. F. du Pont and his
father, Henry Algernon du Pont, designed Winterthur in the spirit of 18th- and
19th-century European country houses. The younger du Pont added to the home
many times thereafter, increasing its number of rooms by nearly sixfold. After
he established the main building as a public museum in 1951, he moved to a
smaller building on the estate.
Where: Winterthur is set
amidst a 1,000-acre preserve of rolling meadows and woodlands including a 60-acre
naturalistic garden, in Winterthur, Delaware.
When: On Tuesday, June
5, Learn more about Winterthur and other iconic houses at “Addicted to Old
Houses: Iconic Rooms and Influential Interiors,” presented at Sotheby’s by Tom
Savage, Director, Museum Affairs, Winterthur Museum. For more information, please visit www.kipsbay.org
Why: "I sincerely hope that the
Museum will be a continuing source of inspiration and education for all time,
and that the gardens and grounds will of themselves be a country place museum
where visitors may enjoy as I have, not only the flowers, trees and shrubs, but
also the sunlit meadows, shady wood paths, and the peace and great calm of a
country place which has been loved and taken care of for three generations." –
Henry Francis Du Pont
Images courtesy
Winterthur.
