Winterthur will open as scheduled on Sunday, December 14. While our team is working to keep parking areas and paths clear, conditions may still be slippery. Please take extra care when walking or driving on the estate. »
Benjamin Sterling Cannon hadn’t been to Winterthur since he was about 10 years old. Now the executive and artistic director of the Wilmington Ballet Academy of the Dance, Cannon never gave much thought to the local cultural institution, which he viewed as a “separate, large, and self-contained” system.
“I never thought I could have a partnership with a place like Winterthur,” Cannon said recently from the stage of Copeland Lecture Hall. But one day a few years ago he was approached by Mark Nardone, who was then communications manager at Winterthur. Nardone invited Cannon to visit and experience what we have to offer, and so Cannon did. He was delighted to find that his assumptions weren’t justified.
“I found the team at Winterthur to be, in a word, ‘curious,’” Cannon said.
He could have meant curious in the sense of the word’s secondary definition: “strange, quirky, or unusual.” And he wouldn’t be incorrect. We’re an interesting bunch. But he truly meant the primary definition of curiosity: “eager to learn.”
On his first visit back as an adult, Cannon fell in love with Winterthur, and the team here likewise fell in love with the Wilmington Ballet. When Cannon drives on to the estate these days, he doesn’t feel like a trespasser. “I like to pretend I live here,” Cannon said.
Winterthur’s collaboration with Cannon developed into a relationship with a variety of area organizations. It’s been an enriching experience for Winterthur employees and visitors alike. One of the outcomes is our upcoming Juneteenth Celebration Day, which takes place here on Saturday, June 17, from 11 am to 4 pm. Juneteenth is a federal holiday in the United States that commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans.
Throughout the day, a variety of storytellers, musicians, and dancers will fill Enchanted Woods and Copeland Lecture Hall with performances enriched by and deeply rooted in African American arts and culture. The activities in Enchanted Woods are included with general admission tickets and are free for Winterthur members. Purchase tickets in advance here.
Performances of The Whitney Project’s “A Celebration of Black Joy” will take place at 11 am and 3 pm in Copeland Lecture Hall. There is a separate fee for these performances. Register for “A Celebration of Black Joy” here.
For an overview of Juneteenth Celebration Day, visit this page.
Benjamin Sterling Cannon, executive and artistic director of the Wilmington Ballet Academy of the Dance, speaks about his experience collaborating with Winterthur while being interviewed by Eliza Jarvis of Flux Creative Consulting in Copeland Lecture Hall.
“Winterthur has a lot to offer.” That’s a sentence I’ve used to start a lot of my talks about where I work and what I do. It’s so broad a statement that it feels like an easy out, but it’s true. The reason I say it so often is because Winterthur is a huge place, profuse with history and activity and so much to give, and I am always discovering more the longer that I am here.
Although I’m a horticulturist who works primarily in the almost 60-acre historic garden, some of my favorite spots and discoveries on the estate have been in our meadows and forests on the many hiking trails that lead you through them.
Since I am not a natural lands technician, I sat down with Jim Magee, our resident natural lands expert, and discussed the trails, meadows, and forests—what they have to offer and how guests can best explore these areas, learning and discovering new things while they wander.
Here is a quick list of 5 things to remember when visiting the “wild” areas (meadows and forests) at Winterthur:
1. Upon arrival, stop by the Visitor Center.
If you are a Member, please check in so that we know how many people are visiting us; if the Visitor Center is closed, wear your lanyard displaying your membership card.
If you are a nonmember, please purchase a ticket.
2. Get a map. These are available at the Visitor Center, or you can download them. There are 15 miles of trails to walk and hike, and we are always adding more, so visit us often to see all there is to see.
3. While hiking, be sure to leave nature in its place. “Leave no trace, take only memories.”
4. Dress for the weather. Wear comfy walking shoes, bring a bottle of water, and, after your hike, always check for ticks!
5. Most important, have fun, get lost, go on an adventure! There is always something new to see at Winterthur, whether you are hiking the trails or lounging in the shade of a tulip poplar at the forest’s edge.
Congratulations—or félicitations, as they say in French—are in order, even if we say so ourselves!
Much to our delight, Winterthur has been awarded a coveted three-star rating in Michelin’s first-ever Green Guide for our area: Philadelphia & the Countryside.
Like the famed Michelin star system for restaurants, this exceptional rating represents the highest and rarest honor. The Michelin Green Guide awards destinations with one, two, or three stars to let readers know whether a place is worth a visit, a detour, or a special journey, respectively. And if that weren’t enough, Winterthur is named one of the 10 “unmissable” must-see sites.
While announcing the new book at an event on May 18, Philippe Orain, editor in chief of the Michelin Green Guide collection, revealed why his team chose Philadelphia and its environs as the 8th U.S. destination to be featured. He called Philadelphia “the most important historical city in the U.S. as the birthplace of America” and an “East Coast Gateway” for international travelers to be introduced to the country.
The guide itself is exciting to read, and the entire tourism team—both here at Winterthur as well as our friends at the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau (PHLCVB), Chester County Conference & Visitors Bureau, and the Valley Forge Convention and Visitors Bureau—are thrilled that so many Delaware sites are included. “We aren’t the destination that we are without the attractions in the countryside,” said Gregg Caren, PHLCVB president and CEO.
Gregg Caren, PHLCVB president and CEO, announces the publication of Michelin’s first-ever green guide for our region.
Many Pennsylvanians—and I say this as a Pennsylvanian—forget how intertwined the First State is with the Keystone State. My colleagues sometimes like to joke that Delaware makes up “the three southernmost counties of Pennsylvania.” (It’s a comment that amuses Pennsylvanians. Delawareans, probably not.) As it is, I usually have one foot in each state, commuting from one end of the Delaware Valley to the other almost every day. I love where I live, and I love where I work, so I’m delighted that both places have received such prestigious recognition.
One thing we surely agree on is that this honor has left us starry-eyed, and we all look forward to welcoming more visitors from France and beyond to our beautiful region.
Celebrating the publication of the guide are, from left, Greg Edevane, director of global development for the Chester County Conference & Visitors Bureau (CCCVB); Nina Kelly, director of marketing & communications for the CCCVB; Jason Brudereck, communications manager for Winterthur; and Christine Heesters, director of marketing for Winterthur.
A celebration of full-blown spring, this area reaches its peak in late May. The peonies in this area are a horticultural treasure representing the best of the yellow, bronze, peach, and maroon Saunders peonies as well as an unparalleled planting of white, pink, and red herbaceous varieties selected with particular attention to flower form.
When creating this garden, H. F. du Pont honored the work of Dr. A. P. Saunders, one of the great peony hybridizers of the 20th century. In addition to the herbaceous peonies, the garden features the lesser-known tree peony. (The term tree is misleading since they are actually shrubs that grow 4 to 6 feet tall.)
Du Pont also added plants with similar flowering times, including beauty bush (Kolkwitzia amabilis), with its fountain of cascading pink blossoms. The lavender flowers of Chinese lilac (Syringa x chinensis) and Henry’s lilac (S. x henryi) also work well here. Surrounding the garden are additional complementary plants. Pink-flowering Weigela florida var. venusta, near the garden steps, harmonizes with the striking red-wine azalea (Rhododendron obusum ‘Amoenum’). A pink crabapple named in honor of du Pont (Malus ‘Henry F. du Pont’) flourishes along the path to the Visitor Center, as do Kurume azalea Coral Bells (Rhododendron ‘Coral Bells’).
The charming Latimeria Summerhouse at one end of the garden was purchased from an estate in Wilmington, Delaware, in 1929, when Marian Coffin designed the Peony Garden.
WINTERTHUR, DE (May 9, 2023) – A devotional manuscript made in the 1780s that is too fragile to display is being digitized and will be available to the public in 2024. On May 12, scholars and advisers will gather at Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library to discuss what the manuscript has revealed so far. They will share their work and perspectives on the manuscript and how it helps them better understand life and art in an early American borderland: the town of Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
The study day, from 9 am to 12:30 pm, is free to attend, but participants must register in advance at: https://tinyurl.com/denig
Early in 2020, Winterthur was given this extraordinary leather-bound illuminated manuscript made by Ludwig Denig (1755–1830), a shoemaker and apothecary who lived in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The Denig manuscript combines intricate ink and watercolor drawings, personal and devotional texts, and sheet-music hymns, forming a compelling record of art and life in 18th-century America.
“Our job is not only to preserve the manuscript but also to curate it and make sure it’s available and relevant to a wider audience,” said Marie-Stéphanie Delamaire, Curator of European and American Art at the Carnegie Museum of Art. Delamaire, who previously served as Curator of Fine Art at Winterthur, is leading the project. “There’s nothing like it anywhere,” she added.
To experience the manuscript requires carefully leafing through more than one hundred sheets of brittle paper. Given the document’s fragility, each turn of the page threatens its physical integrity. To preserve this remarkable object while continuing to share its story, Winterthur is working with the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media, a team of specialists, and community partners to create a digital platform that will allow the public to explore its contents in rich detail through translations of the text, professional recordings of hymns, and essays by leading scholars.
The manuscript reflects the life and times of Ludwig Denig, a Pennsylvania German man born during the French and Indian War. He was a child at the time of the 1763 massacre of the Conestoga Indians in Lancaster, which took place within blocks of his home. Denig also served as a private during the Revolutionary War.
The manuscript was a gift to Winterthur from Alessantrina and David Schwartz and the Schwartz Foundation. An interdisciplinary team has been working on the project, which is funded by the Getty Foundation and the Schwartz Foundation.
Study day presentations and presenters include:
“The Materials and Art of the Denig Manuscript”: Marie-Stéphanie Delamaire and Joan Irving, Assistant Director of Conservation and Senior Paper Conservator, Winterthur
“Ludwig Denig: Cosmic Cobbler”: Alexander L. Ames, Director of Outreach and Engagement, Rosenbach Museum & Library
“Denig and the Specter of the Seven Years’ War”: Will Fenton, Associate Director of Research at the Center for Spatial and Textual Analysis, Stanford University
“Denig’s Omnivorous Musical and Spiritual Inspirations”: Christopher Herbert, Assistant Professor of Music and Vocal Area Coordinator, William Paterson University of New Jersey
The study day will begin with an introduction by Chris Strand, Charles F. Montgomery Director and CEO of Winterthur. It will conclude with a roundtable of discussion and reflections about the project with the above-named speakers as well as noted scholars and community leaders.
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ABOUT WINTERTHUR MUSEUM, GARDEN & LIBRARY
Winterthur—known worldwide for its preeminent collection of American decorative arts, naturalistic garden, and research library for the study of American art and material culture—offers a variety of tours, exhibitions, programs, and activities throughout the year. Admission includes a self-paced house tour, exhibitions, a narrated tram ride (weather and space permitting), and the Winterthur Garden.
Winterthur is located on Route 52, six miles northwest of Wilmington, Delaware, and five miles south of U.S. Route 1. Winterthur is committed to accessible programming for all. For information, including special services, call 800.448.3883 or visit winterthur.org.
From left: Dish, England, 1720–80; earthenware, lead glaze. Bequest of Henry Francis du Pont 1958.1083 | Campeche chair, Campeche, Mexico, 1760–68; mahogany, original stamped leather seat (finials replaced). Museum purchase with funds drawn from the Centenary Fund 2022.0006 | Fragment of Views of North America (Niagara Falls), Zuber & Cie (manufacturer), Rixheim, France, ca. 1850–1900; woodblock printed wallpaper. Museum purchase with funds provided by the Henry Francis du Pont Collectors Circle 2018.0049.004 | Molding plane, Cesar Chelor (d. 1784), Wrentham, Massachusetts, ca. 1770; wood, iron; stamped “CE [star symbol] CHELOR / LIVING [star symbol] IN / WRENTHAM.” Museum purchase 1959.0074.002
In museums, we are often asked to think about how art makes us feel. Labels created by staff members help us understand what a work may represent or what may have inspired an artist to create it. But what if that work is a dish, a chair that people used for hundreds of years, the wallpaper that hung in a historic house, or a tool that a craftsman used in his workshop? Whose stories do these objects hold? And who should speak for them?
The decorative arts in Winterthur’s collection range from high-style, intricately made objects that few people would have had the means to own to simple everyday items that anyone could have owned and used. Bearing Witness, an exhibition in the First-Floor Galleries, explores what a selection of objects bore witness to over time. These objects help us ask important questions, such as:
Whose stories do these objects tell?
How do they reveal the lives of people who made and used them but may not be remembered?
What do they teach us about the past?
And what do they teach us about today and our own experiences?
Bearing Witness invites visitors not only to think about these questions but also to share their responses, both in the Galleries and online. Here are a few of the responses that visitors have shared.
When asked what emotions were evoked by objects in Bearing Witness, one visitor responded that they felt “intrigue about the human experience.”
Teaspoon, marked by Hannah Robinson, Wilmington, Delaware, 1845‒55; silver. Gift of Dr. Margaret I. Handy 1961.0429.002
One visitor reacted to spoons made by Hannah Walker and Hannah Robinson. The label describes them as “exceedingly rare.” The visitor commented, “This is, of course, because women were (and still are) discouraged to work in laborious jobs.”
Another visitor shared, “Art can often sensationalize people’s responses to events. Artists can change people’s minds or further support preexisting ideas.”
“Liberty Monument,” Wallace and Cornwall Kirkpatrick, Anna Pottery, Anna, Illinois, 1873; stoneware (molded and hand-modeled). Museum purchase 2021.0017
In response to the “Liberty Monument,” several visitors appreciated that stories like this one about the Colfax Massacre, a rarely taught event in America’s history, are on view.
“It was surprising and gratifying to see this artist’s depiction of a little-known event in American history. It gives historical context to current events. Thank you for displaying it!”
“Many collections and museums have racist histories, so conflicting and controversial figures like this one need to be included.”
“Artifacts such as this provide witness to the truth and at least stimulate inquiry.”
Visit Bearing Witness in the Galleries or online, and join us in the conversation about these objects. What do they mean to you? Why are they meaningful today? How do they affect us and our experiences?
Winterthur’s founder, Henry Francis du Pont (1880–1969) had a lifelong appreciation for wine. Today, we continue this tradition by enjoying fine wines in his garden during our Wine through Winterthur events.
In the early 1900s, the rise of Prohibition prompted H. F.’s father, Colonel Henry Algernon du Pont, to begin assembling an extensive wine collection. A dozen or so closets, cellars, and storage areas across the estate were used to store wine. After inheriting Winterthur, H. F. continued to enjoy the remarkable collection, adding his own and expanding it into the 1960s.
There are many fascinating examples of 20th-century wine ephemera at Winterthur, from the Prohibition-era Berry Bros. price list from London to detailed records from the estate. Over the years, H. F. and museum staff acquired hundreds of wine-related objects that help tell the centuries-long history of this cherished beverage.
Design plan for wine cellar (left); Berry Bros. price list (right).
According to his butler, William Arthur Lee, H. F. preferred Champagne over red wine with his meat course—a preference likely rooted in his Edwardian upbringing. In many wealthy American households at the turn of the 20th century, Champagne (which was sweeter than today’s versions) was commonly served as the main dinner wine. Sherry accompanied the first soup course, Rhine wines were paired with fish, and clarets complemented game. After Prohibition ended on January 1, 1934, and with his wine cellar heavily stocked with vintage wines of all kinds, H. F. developed a particular fondness for Krug—one of the most prestigious and expensive Champagnes.
H. F. was a man whose many talents and interests set him apart from other significant collectors of American decorative arts. His meticulous attention to dining reinforces this distinction. He was deeply involved in the meals prepared and served at Winterthur, just as he was in managing his farm and curating his collection. His lifelong focus on food and hospitality reveals much about his character—his refined tastes, his attention to detail, and his commitment to creating a lifestyle that reflected his personal values and aesthetic vision.
This dedication to hospitality and food was unwavering, extending from his grand public gatherings to the most intimate family meals. Whether dining in company or alone, Winterthur was the stage where he celebrated food and drink in a way that was uniquely his own.
H. F. du Pont, c. 1954 (left); Footman mixing cocktails (right).
Sip & Savor Among the Blooms offers a perfect pairing of wine and nature. With warmer weather on the horizon, light, crisp, and more refreshing wines are the ideal choice for seasonal pairings. Daffodils, planted in large drifts across the estate, bring a cheery air to the garden. They were among the few plants H. F. wrote about and were a lifelong passion of his. Winterthur is one of the few places in the country where you can see so many in bloom at once—more than 500,000 bulbs blossom across Winterthur from late winter through April—including historic cultivars dating back to the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Start your day with a little sparkle! Historical wine inventory lists reveal that the du Ponts had a fondness for sparkling wines, particularly Champagne. Made in the méthode traditionnelle, Champagne is a sparkling wine from northern France, typically crafted from a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Meunier. Around the world, other regions also produce sparkling wines using this traditional method, often showcasing bright acidity, crisp apple notes, and delicate autolytic flavors like bread and biscuit.
For a modern twist, Chandon Garden Spritz brings a burst of fresh citrus to sparkling wine, making it the perfect bubbly for spring. This unique blend combines an exceptional sparkling wine with a handcrafted bitters recipe, featuring locally sourced oranges macerated with dried peels, herbs, and spices selected from the finest terroirs worldwide.
Chardonnay
Chardonnay is a versatile white wine varietal capable of producing high-quality wines across cool, moderate, and warm climates, with distinct characteristics influenced by growing conditions. Chardonnay can be either oaked (aged in barrels) or unoaked (aged in stainless steel tanks), with fermentation and maturation methods significantly shaping its flavor profile.
The Terrazas Altos del Plata Chardonnay from Mendoza, Argentina, is pale with a hint of green, featuring well-balanced acidity and a full body. Aromas of peach, pear, and pineapple blend with floral notes and subtle undertones of vanilla and coconut, creating a harmonious and refined wine.
Birchrun Hill’s Ola will be paired with this well-balanced Chardonnay as this cheese is hand-formed lactic bloomy rind cheese crafted from pasteurized cow’s milk. This soft-ripened cheese boasts a delicate, wrinkled rind and a pillowy texture, revealing bright, complex flavors with hints of sweet cream.
Rosé
Rosé wine is typically made from black grapes, with the skins remaining in contact for a short period to impart color and flavor. The most common method, short maceration, begins like red wine fermentation, but the skins are removed after just a few hours. The wine then continues fermenting at white wine temperatures, preserving its fresh and vibrant character.
Château Minuty M Rosé is a refined blend of Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault, and Tibouren, crafted from the terroirs of Côtes de Provence. On the nose, crisp red fruit aromas emerge, followed by delicate hints of peach. The palate is bright and refreshing, with lively acidity—perfectly capturing the essence of a Provence Rosé.
The Farm at Doe Run will pair their Hickory on the Hill, an alpine style cheese inspired by appenzeller cheeses from Switzerland, with the Minuty M Rosé. The Farm at Doe Run collaborates with different producers to wash the cheese in locally made libations. For several months, these washes develop an aromatic smear rind before letting the natural flora take hold. The result is an experience of sweet toasted nuts, umami, and a little funk.
Malbec
Malbec is Argentina’s most renowned grape varietal, celebrated for its deep, dark fruit flavors and smooth finish with hints of vanilla and cocoa. Typically full-bodied with medium tannins, Malbec showcases notes of blackberry and red plum, complemented by oak influences of vanilla, tobacco, and cocoa.
The Terrazas Reserva Malbec is carefully cultivated, harvesting early to prioritize elegance and preserve the Malbec’s bright floral and fruity aromas. Reserva Malbec undergoes gentle maceration for 15–20 days to extract refined tannins, followed by 12 months of aging in used French oak barrels, with some wine kept in tanks to maintain freshness. The result is a vibrant, structured wine with layered flavors of red and black fruits, violets, mountain spices, and subtle caramel and chocolate notes from oak aging.
UDairy’s First State Cheddar is crafted with milk from cows at the production facility adjacent to the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Delaware. Aged for six months, this cheddar is mild and buttery, with a distinctive lactic tang on the finish and will pair perfectly with the Malbec.
Some might think there’s a simple solution to saving outdoor sculpture that’s at the mercy of the elements: bring it inside. But H. F. du Pont wanted these particular sculptures—a pair of spectacular iron lilies—on display where they have been for decades, flanking the stairs to the Sundial Garden. Removing them from their location would betray du Pont’s design intent for this area of the Winterthur Garden.
Little is known about the manufacture of these objects. They’re estimated to have been created between 1860 and 1930, probably in New Orleans, and du Pont purchased them from the antiques dealer Churchill Brazelton in 1956.
We also know that they are unique— no other comparable sculptures are known to date. Each one stands about 5 feet tall and consists of meandering hand-wrought iron flowers, leaves, and stems embedded in concrete- and lead-filled bronze vases.
Despite routine conservation care, maintenance, and custom covers for the winter months, over time water infiltration has caused the concrete to expand. This exerts pressure on the bronze urns, cracking them in several locations. Staff has brought the sculptures inside temporarily to examine them and assess treatment options.
So why not just remove the concrete? It’s true that drilling into the urns, removing the concrete, and refilling with an inert material would solve the issue. But that is incredibly invasive, and it’s difficult to know how embedded the iron is within the concrete. It also runs the risk of irreparably damaging the urns, which are integral, original components of the sculptures.
We needed to look inside.
Lauren Fair, Head of Objects Conservation, did just that. She X-rayed the sculptures, working with a team from Baker Hughes, supplier of the imaging software and scanner that Winterthur uses for its radiography. Though the concrete’s density made it difficult to see accurately into the sculptures, some answers could be determined.
The x-ray setup to examine one of the iron lilies.A collage of X-ray images of the iron lilies.
“We can see clearly that many of the leaf elements don’t go down very far, but the main central stem likely does,” Fair said.
She and Rob Plankinton, Supervisor of Estate & Landscape, consulted on next steps with Adam Jenkins, a Philadelphia conservator who previously worked on the sculptures, and Warren Holzman, a Philadelphia metalworker. They concluded that the sculptures are entirely handmade, and the bases would be difficult to reproduce. Knowing this information and the radiography results, the team wants to avoid cutting into the urns. Fortunately, it appears that the base plate may be detached without causing significant damage.
Later this year, the sculptures will be transported to Jenkins’s studio, where they will be secured on their sides to access the inside from underneath.
Given the sculptures’ significance, we plan to update the public on our progress to preserve and return these beloved—and photogenic—decorations to the garden.
<can place caption at bottom of post – also pls credit any photographer who is not on staff>
Floral sculpture (Lilies), 1860–1930. Iron, bronze, H. 64″ (162 cm). Bequest of Henry Francis du Pont 1969.4178.001, .002
Liberty Monument by Cornwall Kirkpatrick and Wallace Kirkpatrick, Anna Pottery, Anna, Illinois, 1873. Museum purchase 2021.0017
The years after the Civil War were rife with violence and unrest as the country grappled with reunification and creating an equitable society. During the Reconstruction era, the political participation and social status of many Black Americans increased, while domestic-terrorist groups such as the Ku Klux Klan fought to keep white-supremacist policies in place. The bitter resentments of former slave owners and their struggles to retain power erupted in fighting throughout the South, notably in Louisiana in 1873.
The Anna Pottery “Liberty Monument,” on view in the Bearing Witness exhibition in the Galleries, tells the story of the especially violent event that occurred on April 13 of that year. Known as the Colfax Massacre, it is among the worst examples of the systemic brutality perpetrated by white supremacist terrorist groups on Black Americans in U.S. history. What led up to this tragedy?
It stemmed from the 1872 governor election in Louisiana, which had resulted in a split vote between the Democrat and Republican candidates. When President Ulysses S. Grant sent federal military support to support the Republican Reconstructionist candidate, white Southerners retaliated. They created the “White League,” a heavily armed paramilitary group that intimidated Black and white Reconstructionists across the state. Out of fear that the White League would seize control of the local government, an all-Black militia took control of the courthouse in April 1873. A mob of 150 white men, including former Confederate soldiers and members of the Ku Klux Klan and the White League, stormed the courthouse and fired a cannon on the group inside. The two forces fought until the Black militia was forced to surrender. The group of white men then murdered most of the Black men. Historians estimate that between 60 and 150 Black Americans were killed that day.
Wallace and Cornwall Kirkpatrick, the potters who made the Liberty Monument in 1873, clearly had a visceral reaction to hearing news about the event. Atop the monument stands Lady Liberty, who ironically watches a violent instance of voter suppression. Inscriptions on the surface state, “Our protection / under the / Civil-right / Bill,” a reference to the Civil Rights Act of 1866 that provided U.S. citizens of all races equal protection under the law. The words “Freedom / in / Louisiana” sarcastically point out the government corruption and social inequity that contributed to the devastation in Colfax.
Inscription: “Freedom / in / Louisiana”
The Kirkpatricks also included a depiction of Grant’s vice president, Schuyler Colfax. Although not directly involved with the massacre, Colfax was associated with government corruption, having been implicated in the Crédit Mobilier scandal. The inscriptions “this great / hight makes / me dizzy” and “got his foot in it / Credit Mobelier” appear near Colfax.
Inscriptions: (left) “this great / hight makes / me dizzy” and (right) “got his foot in it / Credit Mobelier”
The Colfax Massacre is often left out of history books, even though it fundamentally affected racial relations and altered the fabric of not only Louisiana but the country as a whole. On its 150th anniversary, we remember the single most violent instance of racial violence during the Reconstruction Era, which laid the foundation for segregation in the United States.
Finding the perfect present is as easy as a trip to Winterthur! Branch out from the bouquets and choose something that will be cherished for years to come. From tiny tokens to creative keepsakes, a little luxury goes a long way. Choose one or more items from the gift guides curated by our Museum Store staff to make any woman’s day.
Artistic Gifts
Inspiration for painting, journaling, crafting, and flower arranging right within reach
Paint by Number Kit, $29.99
Gold-edge Journal, $16.99
Handmade Embroidered Journal, $17.99
Hand-blown Glass Cup, $50
Debossed Glass Vase, $10
Adornment Gifts
Elegant trinket boxes and delicate catch-all dishes and vessels for vanities and shelves
Hummingbird Trinket Box, $24
Nordic Glass Vase, $27.50
Dragonfly Trinket Box & Matching Necklace, $53
Lily of the Valley Trinket Dish, $62
Bluebird Trinket Box & Matching Necklace, $53
Brass-trimmed Mirror Riser, $105
Wellness Gifts
Luxurious soaps and bath salts, opulent creams and fragrances turn every day into a spa day
Footed Teacup, $16
Royal Extract Soap, $12.50
Royal Extract Salts in Decanter, $312.50
Picture Frame, $50
Royal Extract Dusting Powder, $92.50
Royal Extract Eau de Parfum, $112.50
Royal Extract Body Cream, $92.50
Flower Button Pearl Drop Earrings, $92
Mother’s Love Ring Tray, $50
Flower Blossom Ring, $148
Peace Dove Brooch, $73
Mirror Tray, $113
Louis Sherry Chocolate Tin, $13
Floral Pom-pom Pouch, $12
Tea Time Gifts
Herbals, honey, and a soft blanket—everything needed for a cozy curl up on an overstuffed sofa
Textiles Book, $95
The Interior Design Handbook, $27
Louis Sherry Chocolate Tin, $47
Honey Jar, $18
Winterthur Raw Honey, $18
Covered Bee Mug & Saucer, $25
Brass Bee Spoon, $7
Teapot Spoon Rest, $5
Winterthur Raspberry Curd, $13
Gardener Gifts
Natural and nature-inspired décor and books for planning secret gardens and sending secret messages
Embroidered Round Pillow, $54
Tulip Pillow, $30
Louis Sherry Chocolate Tin, $47
Unearthing The Secret Garden, $25.95
The Posy Book, $24.95
Chenille Fringe Throw, $80
Slow-Living Gifts
Add a touch of beauty and nature to pleasurable pastimes and leisurely free time
Mottahedeh Tobacco Leaf Cachepot, $200
Spring Bouquet Wooden Puzzle, $50
Butterflies & Moths Wooden Puzzle, $50
Stoneware Insect Dish, $9
Old Peking Rose Kitchen Towel, $12
Pocket Guide to Kitchen Gardening, $22.99
Winterthur’s e-commerce shop is not ready yet, but we are still here to help. To purchase any of these gifts, visit our Museum Store Tuesday–Sunday, 10:00 am–5:00 pm, or take advantage of our shopping concierge service! Simply call 302.888.4822 or email museumstore@winterthur.org, and our staff will help you select the perfect gift.
The Gift of Time Spent Together
Give the ultimate gift! Time spent in the company of others or alone at Winterthur will leave her feeling refreshed and relaxed. Spend the entire Mother’s Day Weekend with us. General Admission tickets are valid for two consecutive days (programs have an additional charge).
Wine & Design: Mother’s Day Arrangement | May 12
Go on a floral design date together! Create a beautiful centerpiece while sipping a glass of bubby.
And if you’re still stumped, there’s always the gift that keeps on giving. Purchase a Winterthure-gift certificate or Gift of Membership online and let her fancy take flight in our museum, garden, library, and store.
