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The Winterthur Bloom Report #03 1-20-21-Pauline Myers

Winterthur Museum, Gardens & Library

WINTERTHUR BLOOM REPORT #03

 January 20, 2021

40F, sunny

 

+: Abundant

fbb: Flower-bud breaking

b: Some bloom

fb: Full Bloom

pf: Petals falling/drying

pb: Past bloom (few remain)

ber: Berries, fruits

  Check these out:
  • Snowdrops:
    • Snowdrop (Galanthus elwesii) leaves and buds and some flowers are emerging throughout the gardens. They are particularly plentiful along the March Bank.
    • The snowdrops (Galanthus elwesii) under the shrubs at the east end of Oak Hill are in full bloom this week.
    • Some varieties of snowdrops (Galanthus varieties) in the collection in the raised beds along the East Museum terrace are in full bloom.
  • Witch hazel (Hamamelis species & varieties) are in full bloom in the Visitor Center lawn, waving their yellow or rust colored blossoms that look like clusters of tiny ribbons.
  • Brilliant red berries and colored foliage can still be found on the willow-leaf cotoneaster (Cotoneaster salicifolia) along the fence on Sycamore Hill.
 

ENTRANCE DRIVE AND PARKING AREA

ber       Catalpa species (Catalpa – long, brown, string-bean-like seed pods) b          Forsythia x intermedia (Forsythia – yellow – at upper edge of parking lot) pb        Hydrangea paniculata ‘Grandiflora’ (Pee Gee hydrangea – brown) ber       Paulownia tomentosa (Princess tree – clusters of round brown seed pods)   LAGOONS

SUMMER SHRUB SLOPE

pb        Hydrangea paniculata ‘Grandiflora’ (Pee Gee hydrangea – brown)   PARKING AREA TO VISITOR CENTER

WALK FROM VISITOR CENTER TO UNDERPASS

fbb       Galanthus elwesii (Giant snowdrop – white) fb         Hammamelis mollis ‘Pallida’ (Pale Chinese witch hazel – light yellow) fb         Hammamelis mollis ‘Wisley Supreme’ (Chinese witch hazel variety – yellow) fb         Hammamelis vernalis (Vernal witch hazel – rusty-red)  

WALK FROM UNDERPASS TO MUSHROOM

fbb       Galanthus elwesii (Giant snowdrop – white)   SLOPE DOWN TOWARDS MUSEUM PEONY GARDEN

AZALEA WOODS

fbb       Galanthus elwesii (Giant snowdrop – white)   LOWER AZALEA WOODS fbb       Galanthus elwesii (Giant snowdrop – white)  

UPPER/EAST TERRACE AND STEPS

fbb       Camellia japonica ‘April Remembered’ (Camellia cultivar ‘April Remembered‘ – white to pale pink) fbb       Galanthus ‘E.A. Bowles’ (Snowdrop variety – white) b          Galanthus ‘Louise Ann Bromley’ (Snowdrop variety – white) fbb       Galanthus ‘Madelaine’ (Snowdrop variety) fbb       Galanthus ‘Phantom’ (Snowdrop variety – white) fbb       Galanthus ‘Starling’ (Snowdrop variety – white) fbb       Galanthus ‘Trymlet’ (Snowdrop variety – white) fbb       Galanthus ‘Wasp’ (Snowdrop variety – white) b          Jasminum nudiflorum (Winter jasmine – yellow) fbb       Lonicera fragrantissima (Fragrant honeysuckle – white) fbb       Pieris japonica ‘Dorothy Wycoff’ (Andromeda cultivar – dark pink buds)  

EAST FRONT OF MUSEUM & Around Corner

b          Galanthus ‘Castelgar’ (Snowdrop variety – white) fbb       Galanthus ‘Cowhouse Green’ (Snowdrop variety – white) b          Galanthus elwesii ‘Green Brush’ (Snowdrop variety – white) fbb       Galanthus elwesii ‘Grumpy’ (Snowdrop variety – white) fb         Galanthus elwesii ‘Natalie Garton’ (Snowdrop variety – white) fbb       Galanthus elwesii var. monostichtus (Snowdrop variety – white) fb         Galanthus ‘Farmingdon Double’ (Snowdrop variety – white) fb         Galanthus ‘Fieldgate Prelude’ (Snowdrop variety – white) b          Galanthus ‘Fieldgate Superb’ (Snowdrop variety – white) fb         Galanthus ‘Gabriel’ (Snowdrop variety – white) fbb       Galanthus ‘Galatea’ (Snowdrop variety – white) fbb       Galanthus ‘Imbolc’ (Snowdrop variety – white) fbb       Galanthus ‘John Gray’ (Snowdrop variety – white) fbb       Galanthus ‘Marjorie Brown’ (Snowdrop variety – white) fbb       Galanthus ‘Miller’s Late’ (Snowdrop cultivar – white) fbb       Galanthus ‘Mrs. Thompson’ (Snowdrop variety – white) fbb       Galanthus ‘Percy Picton’ (Snowdrop variety – white) fbb       Galanthus plicatus ‘Diggory’ (Snowdrop variety – white) fbb       Galanthus plicatus ‘Trym’ (Snowdrop variety – white) fbb       Galanthus ‘Spindlestone Surprise’ (Snowdrop variety – white) b          Helleborus ‘Brandywine’ (Lenten rose variety – pink, white) fb         Lonicera fragrantissima (Fragrant honeysuckle – white – along Garden Lane across from Bath House)  

WALK FROM GLASS CORRIDOR TO REFLECTING POOL

fbb       Adonis amurensis (Amur adonis – golden yellow) fbb       Galanthus elwesii (Giant snowdrop – white) pb        Hydrangea paniculata ‘Tardiva’ (Panicle hydrangea cultivar – brown) ber       Ilex opaca (American holly – red berries – few left)  

WALK FROM FISH PONDS – THE GLADE – TO BRIDGE

fbb       Galanthus elwesii (Giant snowdrop – white) pb        Hydrangea arborescens (Smooth hydrangea – brown) pb        Hydrangea arborescens ‘Grandiflora’ (Hills of Snow hydrangea – brown)  

MARCH BANK

fbb       Adonis amurensis (Amur adonis – golden yellow) fbb,+   Galanthus elwesii (Giant snowdrop – white) ber       Ilex opaca (American holly – red berries – few left)  

MAGNOLIA BEND AND WALK ON SOUTH SIDE OF STREAM

fbb       Galanthus elwesii (Giant snowdrop – white) pb        Hydrangea arborescens (Smooth hydrangea – brown) pb        Hydrangea quercifolia (Oakleaf hydrangea – brown)   GARDEN LANE

WINTERHAZEL WALK

fb         Helleborus foetidis (Bear’s foot hellebore – greenish)   ICEWELL TERRACE

PINETUM

fbb       Chaenomeles cultivars (Flowering quince – red, orange) fbb       Chaenomeles x superba ‘Crimson & Gold’ (Flowering quince cultivar – crimson) fbb       Chaenomeles x superba ‘Texas Scarlet’ (Flowering quince cultivar – scarlet) b          Helleborus x hybridus (Lenten rose – pink – 1 flower) b          Viburnum farreri (Fragrant viburnum – pale pink to white) fbb       Viburnum macrocephalum ‘Sterile’ (Snowball viburnum variety – greenish-white)  

SUNDIAL GARDEN

ber       Paulownia tomentosa (Princess tree – clusters of round brown seed pods) fbb       Spiraea arguta (Spiraea species – white – few buds)   TRAFFIC CIRCLE

ENCHANTED WOODS

fbb       Galanthus elwesii (Giant snowdrop – white) pb        Hydrangea arborescens ‘Grandiflora’ (Hills of Snow hydrangea – tan) pb        Hydrangea quercifolia (Oakleaf hydrangea – tan) pb        Hydrangea serrata (Mountain hydrangea – tan) fbb       Rhododendron variety (Azalea – pink – near Turtle Bridge – 2 flowers)  

OAK HILL-East Side

fb         Galanthus elwesii (Giant snowdrop – white)

OAK HILL-West Side

ber       Viburnum dilatatum (Linden viburnum – dark red berries)  

QUARRY, ADJACENT WALKS, AND OUTLET STREAM

Fbb/b   Galanthus elwesii (Giant snowdrop – white – few flowers) b          Mahonia bealei (Leatherleaf mahonia – yellow-green) fbb       Pieris japonica ‘Forest Flame’ (Andromeda cultivar – eye-catching red buds)  

SYCAMORE HILL

ber       Catalpa species (Catalpa – long, green to brown, string-bean-like seed pods) ber       Cotoneaster salicifolia (Cotoneaster – red berries) fbb       Galanthus elwesii (Giant snowdrop – white) pb        Hydrangea paniculata ‘Grandiflora’ (Pee Gee hydrangea – brown)  

WEST FRONT OF MUSEUM, STORE, AND CLENNY RUN

pb        Camellia ‘Snow Flurry’ (Camellia variety – double white) pb        Camellia ‘Survivor’ (Camellia variety – white with pink-tinged buds) fb         Chimonanthus praecox ‘Lutea’ (Wintersweet variety – pale yellow) b          Galanthus elwesii (Giant snowdrop – white) pb        Hamamelis virginiana (Common witch hazel – yellow ‘ribbons’ – behind Museum Store at parking lot wall) fbb       Hamamelis mollis (Chinese witch hazel – yellow ‘ribbons’) fbb       Helleborus x hybridus ‘Pine Knot Select-Our Best’ (Hellebore varieties/Lenten Rose – apricot, pink, pink spotted) pb        Hydrangea quercifolia (Oakleaf hydrangea – dried brown – in Clenny Run at Museum bridge)   GREENHOUSE AREA BACK MEADOW – Top of Sycamore Hill to back ponds GARDEN LANE MEADOW – below Brown’s Woods  

Bloom Report presented by:

Pauline Myers

Yearly Bloom Calendar

The information below is based on a typical year in the Winterthur Garden. Current bloom times may vary due to weather conditions.

Experience the magic of the Winterthur Garden through the virtual tour! This 360-degree panoramic will showcase the garden through spring, summer, and fall.

Spring

February 4

The first signs of spring have arrived with the blossoms of the white snowdrops and the yellow adonis. The cold weather brings out the best in the native and hybrid witch-hazels. At the Visitor Center, the lemon yellow Chinese witch-hazels contrast beautifully with the muted winter landscape. From the Quarry Garden bridge, the view of the surrounding hills is framed by the bronze shades of the hybrid witch-hazels.

February 18

Now is a perfect time to visit Winterthur’s March Bank. The hillside is covered with dainty snowdrops with their nodding white blooms and the winter aconite sporting its ruffle-like collar and cheery yellow flowers. Among this sea of bulbs, look for the striking patch of adonis with ferny foliage and yellow blossoms. Around the Icewell Terrace are large white snowflakes making a show, and at the Visitor Center and Quarry Garden are witch-hazels still in bloom in shades of yellow and bronze.

March 3

The March Bank display is already well on its way. The bank is alive with thousands of bright yellow blossoms of the adonis and winter aconite bulbs, along with the early flowering cornel dogwoods. Countless snowdrops bloom here as well as throughout the garden. The East Terrace lawn is covered with the lavender Crocus tomasinianus, or “Tommies,” along with the deliciously scented flowers of winter honeysuckle. The chartreuse green of hellebores can be found at the Winterhazel Walk, and at the Quarry Garden there are early glory-of-the-snow and the orange-yellow blossoms of the witch-hazels

March 11

This week at Winterthur the March Bank is covered in white snowdrops and yellow winter aconite and adonis. This color scheme is accented by crocus in shades of purple and lavender. Blue glory-of-the-snow are beginning to bloom at the Quarry Garden along with yellow cornelian-cherry dogwoods. Chartreuse and pink hellebores are still in bloom along the Winterhazel Walk.

March 18

This week in the garden, the highlight continues to be the March Bank. The “yellow phase” has just begun to fade as the bright yellow flowers of the winter aconite and adonis give way to the beginning blossoms of the blue squills and glory-of-the snow. These are accented with the yellow flowers of a Cornus officinalis, white and lavender crocus, and miniature daffodils. The crocus and daffodils can also be found at the Quarry Garden. Here there are three beautiful cornelian-cherry dogwoods in full bloom combined with the coppery shades of the hybrid witch-hazels and again the beginnings of the glory-of-the-snow.  On your way to the Quarry, be sure to take the Winterhazel Walk and check out the burgundy and white Helleborus  This time of the year the garden is constantly changing, especially as the “blue phase” of the March Bank begins.

March 23

Taking center stage this week is the March Bank, which is in the midst of the change from the “yellow phase” to the “blue phase” with the beginnings of the blue glory-of-the-snow and squills extending from Azalea Woods through the March Bank and down into the Glade. There are also early miniature daffodils, lavender and white crocus, and yellow cornelian-cherry dogwoods in full bloom. The Winterhazel Walk has white, rose, and pale green hellebores, and blooming nearby are deliciously fragrant pink and white viburnums with early flowering rhododendrons beneath. At the Quarry Garden you can find yellow cornelian cherry dogwoods in bloom with yellow daffodils and blue glory-of-the-snow. The East Terrace lawn of the museum is filled with blue glory-of-the-snow, and nearby are fragrant white winter honeysuckle and yellow winter jasmine.

March 30

It’s finally here! The March Bank is at its peak with millions of scilla and glory-of-the-snow in full bloom. The sea of blue starts in the Azalea Woods, covers the entire March Bank, and spills down into the Glade. This bulb combination has seeded throughout the garden and is accented with the pale yellow of cornelian-cherry dogwoods, early forsythia, and daffodils. The other main display this time of year is the Winterhazel Walk, just coming into flower. The pale yellow winter-hazels and the lavender and pink Korean rhododendrons are just breaking bud along with the lavender corydalis and the white and burgundy lenten rose. With warm weather, the March Bank show will not last long, so be sure not to miss it!

April 7

The garden is alive with color as we head into the month of April at Winterthur. The March Bank and Azalea Woods are still making a show with blue glory-of-the-snow accented by white and lavender Italian windflowers, white bloodroot, and cheery yellow daffodils. Winterhazel Walk dazzles with the beautiful combination of pale yellow winter-hazel and lavender Korean rhododendron. Take a walk to the Quarry Garden to see yellow daffodils and corydalis and to Azalea Woods to see pale pink rhododendrons. The Pinetum Quince Walk is in bloom with shrubs in various shades and blooming nearby is the pale blue starflower. Throughout Winterthur, you can enjoy yellow forsythia and pink flowering cherries, pink and white magnolias, and beautiful stands of daffodils just beginning to color the hillsides.

April 14

The garden is filled with color this week. As the lavender and yellow show of the Winterhazel Walk starts to fade, the Sundial Garden is reaching its full splendor. White and pink magnolias are in full bloom along with spireas, flowering quince, and flowering cherries. These colors can also be found in the Pinetum along with the pink blossoms of the royal azaleas. While in the Pinetum, don’t miss the Quince Walk, which is lined with pink, salmon, white, and red varieties. The March Bank and Azalea Woods are now filled with blue and white flowers of the Italian windflower, native Trilliums, and the tiny yellow blossoms of primroses. Throughout the garden there are thousands of daffodils in bloom along with such spring treasures as early flowering rhododendrons, corydalis, native pachysandra, and many others.

April 20

Now is the time to come to Winterthur and enjoy the early spring bloom. White and pink magnolias and pink cherries are in full bloom along with native dogwoods and redbuds ready to pop. Virginia bluebells, lavender and white Italian windflowers, yellow forsythia, and lavender rhododendrons can all be found blooming throughout the garden. At the March Bank, look for early spring wildflowers such as yellow bellwort, white spring beauty, and cutleaf toothwort. Azalea Woods is filled with white trilliums, mayapples, and yellow primroses. Make a special trip to the Sundial Garden to see blooming shrubs such as white spirea, flowering quince and early lilacs. Notice the deep pink crabapple at the edge of the Pinetum with a beautiful drift of pale blue starflower nearby. The Pinetum has flowering quince in shades of pink, red and white. There are spectacular drifts of daffodils along the Front Drive and also at Magnolia Bend and Sycamore Hill. Spring is a great time to come and enjoy the Winterthur Garden!

April 28

Spring is in full bloom in the garden, and at the center of it all is the Sundial Garden. The lavender of the beginning blossoms of the lilacs is combined with a sea of pinks and whites as spiraeas, rhododendrons, cherries, viburnums, and crabapples are all in full bloom. From here take a walk toward the Pinetum to enjoy the sweet fragrance of the Viburnum carlesii and the many shades of flowering quince that soften the path. In the Pinetum, the shade from the ancient evergreens is brightened by white spireas and pearlbushes and delicate pink royal azaleas. At the Quarry Garden there are many bulbs still in bloom with the primroses just starting to flower. There are color and surprises to be found throughout the garden with redbuds, Virginia bluebells, and trilliums in full bloom, and the beloved dogwoods starting to come into flower.

May 4

Spring is in full swing in the garden with the lavender redbuds and pink and white dogwoods in full bloom along with azaleas just beginning to flower. Azalea Woods and the March Bank are alive with white spring beauties. Also in bloom are Virginia bluebells, white and blue Italian windflower, yellow and white trilliums, blue Jacob’s ladder, and lavender phlox. The Sundial Garden is at its peak with cascading white spirea, fragrant viburnums and lilacs. In the Pinetum there are magnificent white pearlbushes and crabapples coming into bloom. The azaleas will be at their peak of bloom in the next week or two, but there is a great deal to see all through the garden.

May 13

The garden is absolutely filled with color this week as the dogwoods, viburnums, rhododendrons, and azaleas are in full bloom across the estate. The finest azalea show, however, continues in Azalea Woods, where eight acres of white, coral, pink, and red cultivars remain in full flower along with peach and salmon rhododendrons. These colors are set off by the lavender of phlox and Spanish bluebells in flower on the woodland floor. Azalea Woods should be at its peak for at least another week. In the Sundial Garden the theme remains white and lavender with snowball viburnums, lilacs, and the princess trees in bloom. Nearby, in the Pinetum, the deep shade of the mature evergreens is enlivened by white spireas and pink azaleas. On Oak Hill, bright reds of azaleas and the flame buckeye are paired with lilacs and gold, white, and pink native azaleas, many of which are also quite fragrant.

May 18

The azaleas are still making a show in every part of Winterthur. Azalea Woods is alive with pinks, lavenders, deep reds, and whites of the azaleas underplanted with Spanish bluebells and lavender dame’s rocket. In the Peony Garden are many early peonies in soft ivory, salmon yellow and red as well as pink weigela. The Quarry Garden is reaching its peak bloom with wild columbines and early primulas in shades of yellow, orange, and pink. In the Sundial Garden, Sycamore Hill, and Oak Hill areas, the last fragrant lilacs still bloom along with white snowball viburnums.

Summer

June 1

Sycamore Hill is at its peak of bloom in June, when kousa dogwoods with their white star-like blossoms, pink spirea, white deutzias, and lavender lilacs all come into bloom. Primroses are still colorful at the Quarry Garden in shades of yellow, pink, and orange. Throughout Winterthur, late azaleas and rhododendrons add their colors to the landscape. Arching sprays of deutzia and spirea are complemented by blue and white iris at Magnolia Bend. Be sure to take a stroll and enjoy the interesting textures of ferns, hostas, daylilies and other delights of the Winterthur woodlands.

June 18

As summer begins, the Quarry Garden is full of color with primroses in shades of orange, yellow and lavender.  At Magnolia Bend white roses are paired with pink azaleas. The deep shade March Bank is brightened by orange daylilies, white spikes of the bugbanes, and the many shades of green ferns. Throughout the woodlands, color can be found in late-blooming azaleas, lilies, bugbanes, hostas, and hydrangeas.

July

As summer marches on, the Winterthur woodlands are alive with the blooms of hybrid daylilies and the delicate whites of joe-pye-weed and bugbane. At Magnolia Bend, the whites of the oakleaf hydrangeas are paired with the whte blossoms of rugosa roses. In the Quarry Garden amid the soothing sounds of natural springs and meandering streams, you can enjoy astilbes, iris, white bellflowers, and rudbeckia in full flower along with hostas that are just starting to bloom. The Glade, refreshing with the waterfall and fish pools, is surrounded by hostas and hydrangeas. Nearby, the Reflecting Pool is surrounded with containers filled with colorful summer annuals.. And as the summer progresses, the streambanks and wetlands of the estate seem to change every week as native wildflowers come in and out of bloom.

August

This month is a perfect time to come and enjoy the Winterthur Garden. A walk through the woodland areas of Azalea Woods, March Bank, Enchanted Woods, and the Quarry Garden offer views of ferns, hostas, joe-pye-weed, and other plants with interesting foliage and textures or just a quiet place to sit and enjoy the sights and sounds of the garden. At the Reflecting Pool, you can sit and relax to the cooling sounds of the pool or catch a glimpse of the fish in the Glade pond. Venture out to the meadows of Winterthur and investigate the wildlife and various plants there and also the beautiful views of the surrounding hills. In the first weeks of August, you will find red cardinal flower in bloom at the Quarry Garden and at Magnolia Bend, lavender Russian sage and blue plumbago still making a show.

Autumn

September

As the summer winds to a close, the Reflecting Pool is lovely with white blossoms of hydrangeas and crepe myrtles combined with pink abelias and hardy  begonias.

The Quarry Garden woodlands are filled with aster, hosta, and Heuchera species in full flower. And down in the bog, there are bright yellow ligularias, blue and scarlet lobelias, and light blue clematis in bloom. At Magnolia Bend there are white  rugosa roses along with the  blues of Russian sage and plumbago. Throughout the garden there are sights to see as crimson viburnum fruits ripen and foliage takes an early turn toward autumn.

October

The glorious peak of fall color should arrive in late October.. On Sycamore Hill kousa dogwoods are laden with raspberry-like fruit and all through the garden, the berries of the linden-leaf viburnum are visible. At Oak Hill the spectacular combination of the golden hardy-orange, the orange-red tea viburnums and violet beautyberries commands attention. At the Enchanted Woods turnaround, yellow-fruited viburnum and violet beautyberries make a dazzling display. Near the Post Office, white Heptacodium are underplanted with white-flowering liriope, or lily-turf. Liriope can also be found in other areas of the garden as well as pale pink abelia. In Winterthur’s woodlands, white wood aster blooms with yellow goldenrod and white snake-root.

November

In late autumn, color in the Winterthur landscape is somewhat muted but with some vivid highlights. The view of the surrounding woodlands and the garden from such areas as the front drive, Oak Hill, Magnolia Bend, and the back drive are simply breathtaking. A few areas not to be missed are Oak Hill with bronze photinias and kousa dogwoods, the Quarry Garden with the reds of the black gum trees and dogwoods and rust-colored witch-hazels and the Winterhazel Walk with the beautiful combination of the golden winter-hazel and crimson azalea foliage. Be sure to see the spectacular orange-red Japanese maples at the Visitor Center and Magnolia Bend. In addition to foliage color, fruit color plays a part in our fall display. At the Enchanted Woods turnaround, catch a glimpse of the collections of purple and white beautyberries, and yellow-fruited viburnums. And on Oak Hill, there is the combination of yellow hardy-oranges, purple beautyberries, and red-orange tea viburnums. As autumn comes to a close, take this last time to enjoy a relaxing stroll through the Winterthur Garden.

Museum Giving Opportunities

Exhibitions

Winterthur presents changing exhibitions that engage visitors and members in new and exciting ways through the presentation of special collections. Included in many of these exhibitions is the production of scholarly catalogues, publications, and other sources of communication (videos, iPod tours, etc.), which are the culmination of the finest research and writing in the American decorative arts world. Exhibitions are excellent opportunities for companies, foundations, and individuals to contribute to Winterthur in a way that directly enhances the lives of those in our community and the region.

kids and a vase on display

Scientific Research and Analysis Laboratory (SRAL)

Winterthur and the University of Delaware jointly fund the Scientific Research and Analysis Laboratory (SRAL) which provides an exceptional environment for scientific education, scholarship, and research focused on the interpretation, analysis, and preservation of our global cultural heritage. The SRAL is one of the best-equipped museum laboratories in the country, housing scientific instrumentation that includes two x-ray fluorescence spectrometers, a scanning electron microscope with x-ray microanalysis capabilities, a Fourier transform infrared microspectrometer, a Raman microspectrometer, and a gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer. However, urgent fundraising priorities include replacing ageing and obsolete analytical equipment, laboratory benches, and fume hoods.

consultation with conservation scientists

Conferences

Furniture Forum and Ceramics Conference are the cornerstones of Winterthur’s body of academic programming related to decorative arts and material culture. Over the course of two days, scholars present compelling new research that invites attendees to explore the intricacies of material life in the past.  Considered to be among the leading conferences in their fields, the distinguished scholarship presented draws experts and enthusiasts from across the country. 

For more information, please contact the Winterthur Development Office at 302.888.4673 or contributions@winterthur.org.

Caring for Your Cherished Objects: The Winterthur Guide

Caring for Your Cherished Objects: The Winterthur Guide

Edited by Joy Gardiner and Joan Irving

Cherished objects and family heirlooms hold a special place in our lives. Whether they are personal letters, grandmother’s silverware, or the favorite stuffed animal from your childhood, these items all have significance and are part of your cultural heritage.

Caring for Your Cherished Objects: The Winterthur Guide provides practical information about what you should and should not do to prolong the life of your objects, including advice about proper storage and display. The book will help you to assess your possessions, understand which objects are most vulnerable, and avoid the situations that will put them at more risk.

The authors of Caring for Your Cherished Objects are highly trained, experienced experts who have cared for thousands of precious objects and have a passion for the topic. In addition to caring for the collections at Winterthur, they teach, consult, and lecture on the care of cultural heritage.

Paperback. 6.5″ x 9.5″; 156 pages, 84 color illustrations. Summer 2021

Buy Online

New Acquisitions

Winterthur continually acquires objects for its museum collection through gifts and purchases. The following is a small selection of recent acquisitions.

Ceramics

vicar and moses figure group

Vicar and Moses figure group
Staffordshire, England; 1810
Earthenware (pearlware)
Height: 11.25″ (28.575 cm)
Width: 7.5″: (19.05 cm)
Depth: 4.563″ (11.59 cm)
Gift of Thomas N. and A. Pat Bernard
2002.30.84  

vicar and moses mug

Vicar and Moses mug
Possibly John Aynsley
Lane End, Staffordshire, England; 1785-1805
Earthenware (creamware)
Height: 3.74″ (9.5 cm); length: 4.055″ (10.3 cm)
Diameter: 2.912″ (7.4 cm)
Gift of John A. and Judith C. Herdeg
2011.18

passglas
hanukkah lamp
easter bunny fraktur
easter eggs

“The Vicar and Moses,” a satirical poem popular in the 1700s, was a commentary on the perception by many church-goers that the clergy paid more attention to worldly wealth and luxury than to their religious duties. From the mid-1700s onward, this subject was represented in published prints and songs and, later in the century, in ceramic form. The printed subject on the mug reappears with the rhyme on some other vessels and probably was inspired by a 1785 print published in London by Bowles and Carver. Like the freestanding figure group shown here, the printed views capture the portion of the story when the clerk, Moses, goes to a tavern, in theory to drag the vicar away from his drink, so that he may bury a young child. Moses joins the vicar in drinking, and eventually the two of them stumble back to the church, lighting their way with a lantern. These two objects are currently on view in the exhibition, Uncorked! Wine, Objects & Tradition.

Furniture

wooden chest

Chest
Eastern Shore of Virginia, 1770-1800
Pine, paint, iron
Height 53″ (134.620 cm); width 18″ (45.720 cm); depth 23″ (58.420 cm)
Museum purchase with funds provided by the Henry Francis du Pont Collectors Circle, 2011.16

The representation of southern furniture in Winterthur’s collection is limited, and long on the curators “want list” has been an example of raised panel furniture from the Eastern Shore of Virginia. Usually made of hard yellow pine and painted, these objects have rarely survived with their original paint due to the deleterious effects of the resinous portions of the pine that did not retain the paint. Most were stripped to a “knotty pine” appearance in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, so examples with original paint are not only unusual but highly desirable. 

This three panel-chest with paneled ends is a rare survivor, retaining approximately 60–70% of a combination of the first and second generations of blue paint. In addition to the original paint, the chest has the added importance of a provenance that associates it with one of the early planter families on the Shore. Boldly written in graphite on the underside of the lid is the name “John Cobb,” presumably a descendant of English immigrant John Cobb who arrived in 1642 and received a patent for 600 acres along Occohannock Creek in 1661.

Glass

Passglas
Germany or Netherlands; 1600-25
Glass (nonlead)
Height: 11.7″ (29.8 cm); diameter: 4.1″ (10.5 cm)
Gift of Richard and Pam Mones, 2011.54 

Passglas was a design popular in Germany but also the Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, Estonia, and Sweden during the 16th through 18th centuries. A passglas is a tall glass, sometimes cylindrical, but more often having six or eight sides and marked with glass rings or bands at regular intervals.

As the name of this drinking glass indicates, it was intended to be shared and was sometimes passed among several drinkers. The horizontal rings on such glasses are said to indicate the amount to be drunk by each person before the vessel was passed on. Such glasses were for wine, beer, ale and other alcoholic beverages and sometimes were used in drinking games. The challenge was–in one drink–to drink exactly from one horizontal stripe to the next; the penalty for inaccuracy was to drink to the next stripe. 

This type of vessel was made in northern Europe from the 1500s through the 1700s and, as the form is derived from earlier Venetian types, is referred to as façon de venise (or “in the Venetion style”). Typically associated with Germany and the Netherlands, passglas production also may have taken place in Denmark, Finland, Estonia, and Sweden. 

At the time this vessel was made, northern European glassware was arriving at colonial American settlements. Passglas fragments were excavated at the St. John’s site, about a quarter of a mile northeast of St. Mary’s City, Maryland. First occupied in 1635, St. John’s was the principal residence of Governor Charles Calvert from 1661 to 1666. Afterwards, it continued as a meeting place for the assembly and was leased to a series of innkeepers. At least 21 façon de venise vessels were found at the site. 

Metalwork

Hanukkah lamp (Menorah)
Possibly Ipswich, Massachusetts, 1820-80
Tinned sheet iron
Height: 10.8″ (27.432 cm); width: 12.25″ (31.115 cm); depth: 4″ (10.160 cm)
Gift of Cipora O. Schwartz in memory of Philip C. Schwartz
2011.30.2 

This Hanukkah lamp was designed to hold eight candles with an additional detached candle holder (the shamash) used to ignite them cumulatively during the Jewish Festival of Lights. Hanukkah lamps have ancient origins as oil-burning lamps, but by the 1700s, they were produced with candles and candle sockets as well as oil reservoirs. Historically, these lamps were made from a variety of inflammable materials, but base metals (pewter or brass) and silver examples survive with frequency from craftsmen working in Europe and North Africa. These lamps are used inside homes for religious observances only, commemorating the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem (2nd century BCE), and not for domestic purposes.

Early American immigrants included people of the Jewish faith traveling from England, Europe, the Caribbean, and South America. This sheet iron Hanukkah lamp is an example with little intrinsic value made for a family of modest means; thus, today, it is quite rare. Historic Hanukkah lamps, especially with an American provenance, do not frequently appear in the collector’s market. 

Embroidered and painted silk picture

Paintings

Portrait miniature of Dr. Alexander Baron

Portrait miniature of Dr. Alexander Baron (1810-42) of Charleston, SC
by Charles Fraser, Charleston, SC, 1782-1860
Watercolor on ivory
Height: 4.5″ 
Museum purchase with funds provided by the Henry Francis du Pont Collectors Circle
2010.29 A-C

A miniature by Charleston artist Charles Fraser has long been on Winterthur’s “want list.” This portrait of Dr. Alexander Ladson Baron (1810¬–42) of Charleston, South Carolina, commemorates his first year of marriage to Sarah Gibbes DeSaussure (1811–91). Signed on paper backing of ivory by the artist–“C Fraser Charleston / SC Apl 1833″—the miniature is further inscribed on paper backing by the sitter: “Present for my wife / on the / 1st Anniversary of our marriage / April 26th 1833.”

Both Alexander Baron and his wife, Sarah, were members of prominent families of South Carolina and were instrumental in the governance, prosperity, and social affluence of Charleston. Baron’s father, the elder Dr. Alexander Baron (1745–1819), was a physician of renown and a founder of the Medical Society of South Carolina who “served for twenty-eight years as president of the St. Andrews Society, the oldest charitable society in the state.”

Charles Fraser was a popular and respected artist. The leading miniaturist in Charleston prior to the Civil War, Fraser studied and practiced law until 1817, when he took up painting. Although he lived in Charleston, he made many summer visits to northern states. He produced more than 500 miniatures in his lifetime, but he also painted still lifes and historic scenes. He worked in both oils and watercolors.

Fraser exhibited frequently at the Boston Athenaeum and showed work at the National Academy of Design (1826), the American Academy of the Fine Arts (1831, 1833, and 1834), the American Art Union (1849), the Artists Fund Society, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (1837), the American Art Union (1849), and in Charleston. He was made an honorary member of the American Academy of Fine Arts in 1825.

Textiles and Needlework

Embroidered and painted silk picture
Initialed EJ, Natchez, Mississippi, 1811
Silk, paint, wood
Height: 18″ (45.720 cm); width: 21.5″ (54.610 cm)
Museum purchase with funds provided by the Henry Francis du Pont Collectors Circle
2012.4.3 A, B

Until now, Winterthur’s collection has included only one example from the south, an embroidered and painted picture worked by Ann Custer of Charleston, South Carolina. This embroidered and painted picture from Natchez is a very sophisticated design, beautifully worked, and exceedingly rare. The five-chimneyed house occurs on schoolgirl art from many areas and must have been copied from a popular print.

Works on Paper

Drawing of Easter Bunny with basket of eggs
Attributed to Conrad Gilbert, Berks County, Pennsylvania, 1800     
Museum purchase with funds provided by     
Henry Francis du Pont Collectors Circle. 2011.10 

Many of the most beloved American holiday traditions have their roots in southeastern Pennsylvania where German-speaking immigrants introduced customs such as the Easter Bunny and decorated Easter eggs, along with the Christmas tree.

This delightful image is attributed to schoolmaster Johann Conrad Gilbert (1734–1812), who emigrated from Germany in 1757 and ultimately settled in Berks County, Pennsylvania. He likely made the drawing as a gift for one of his students. This drawing is an example of a Pennsylvania German tradition of decorated manuscripts known as fraktur, which include birth and baptismal certificates, family records, writing samples, and bookplates. The Easter rabbit drawing is one of the rarest of all fraktur, with only two examples known, and is a major addition to Winterthur’s collection. 

Related Gift

Easter egg
Southeastern Pennsylvania, 1850 
Gift of Jane and Gerald Katcher. 2011.35 
Photograph by Richard Goodbody, courtesy of David A. Schorsch and Eileen M. Smiles.

Few decorated Easter eggs from the 1700s or 1800s remain today due to their extreme fragility. Winterthur was fortunate enough to receive an outstanding example of one, donated by Jane and Gerald Katcher, to accompany the Easter Bunny fraktur. This rare surviving egg is decorated with hearts and flowers as well as a decanter, two wineglasses, and a tumbler. The egg—most likely from a goose—is also inscribed with an abbreviated name “Jno Robt Brs” and the date 1850. By the early 1800s, many Pennsylvania Germans included decorated eggs as part of their Easter celebrations.

Children were taught to prepare nests for the Easter Bunny, who would lay colorful eggs during the night provided the children were well behaved. The eggs were typically dyed by simmering them in water with onion skins, which imparted a reddish-brown color. Additional colors were achieved with madder root, walnut hulls, hickory bark, and other materials. Most of the eggs were eaten over the holiday, but some were embellished with scratched decoration that was done with a sharp pin or knife in which designs, names, and dates were scratched through the dyed outer coating to reveal the white eggshell underneath. The decorated eggs were then exchanged as gifts. 

According to Lisa Minardi, assistant curator at Winterthur and an expert on Pennsylvania German arts and culture, “The Easter Bunny fraktur and egg are extremely rare and important additions to the Winterthur collection. The fraktur, as one of the two earliest known depictions of the Easter Bunny in America, represents the very roots of this beloved holiday tradition, while the survival of the egg in such good condition is simply extraordinary. We are very grateful to the Henry Francis du Pont Collectors Circle and the Katchers for their generosity in supporting these acquisitions.” 

Laurel Riegel – Always Eager to Learn More

Laurel Riegel has been volunteering at Winterthur since the mid-1990s. Her love of American decorative arts inspired her to volunteer at the museum. Her volunteer activity takes a variety of forms, including Special Events and helping as a Conservation/Conference volunteer. Laurel has also been a benefactor to several temporary exhibitions, including Costumes of Downton Abbey and Tiffany Glass: Painting with Color and Light.

Letter from the Enchanted Woods Faeries

Dear Children,

Come into the garden. My fairy friends and I made Enchanted Woods especially for you. We hope you enjoy it.

Story Stones
I am Cobweb, the storyteller fairy, and I made Story Stones. Each stone tells a story. See if you can guess how the old stones were used. Some were for milling grain; a few were once parts of houses. Find the stones that are good for sitting and read or tell a story of your own.

S-s-serpentine Path
Look down. Are you standing on the S-s-serpentine Path? Can you feel the smiling serpent wriggling beneath your feet? Don’t worry, you won’t hurt him. Glimmer, the magician fairy, has enchanted him, and the serpent has a message for you.

Troll Bridge
When you cross over the Troll Bridge, please be careful. Soot, the troll, lives underneath, and he might try to grab your ankles! If you’re feeling brave, you can peek under the bridge to see his dark, damp, cramped little home. (Soot really isn’t so bad–his bridge protects the roots of two ancient tulip trees.)

Water’s Edge
At Water’s Edge, you can hug Harvey, our enchanted frog, and listen to the soothing water sounds.

Gathering Green
Moss is the gardener fairy. He planted the Gathering Green for you so you could dance around the May Pole to welcome spring. (We also use it for our fairy meetings on moonlit evenings.) Moss’s great-great-great-great-great grandfather planted the acorns that have grown into the circle of magnificent oaks that you see around you.

Bird’s Nest
Lark, the music fairy, needed a safe home, so she built a Bird’s Nest above clouds of blue and white hydrangeas. She made it big enough so that friends could visit. Climb up and listen for the songs of forest and meadow birds, the wind whispering in the trees, and the drip and plop of raindrops falling on your head.

Fairy Flower Labyrinth
From the Bird’s Nest, look down to find the Fairy Flower Labyrinth. Blossom, the flower fairy, made a special walking and thinking pathway for you called a labyrinth. The first one was made in Crete thousands of years ago. Blossom has carved twenty stones with magic flowers and plants and a walking song from the Navajo tribe for you to find.

Faerie Cottage
When spelled this way, from Old French, the word faerie includes all the woodland spirits–fairies, pixies, elves, brownies, sprites, sylphs, and gnomes. Together, they all discovered a crumbling stone building with one wall falling down. They worked to repair it and make a playhouse for you. Look around. What do you think of the fairy way of building?

Frog Hollow
Puddle is the water fairy. He made the Frog Hollow bridge from old stones and a biofilter from a trough where farm animals once ate. A biofilter uses plants and lava rocks to clean water without using chemicals that could harm you or the frogs, fish, bugs, and other creatures who live in Frog Hollow.

Tulip Tree House
Climb over the Fallen Oak to reach the Tulip Tree House. The fairies have an elf friend names Quercus who is the guardian of the trees in Enchanted Woods. Quercus lives high in the branches of an oak. He made the Tulip Tree House for you out of a giant tulip-poplar that lived for more than 100 years before it died of old age. If you carefully open the creaking door and go in, you’ll be inside a tree. It’s dark in there. Feel the walls with your hands. Is it smooth or rough, hard or soft? What do you hear? Peek behind the tree to spy the Pixie Fire Pit.

Acorn Tearoom
Bluebell is the artist fairy. She likes everything in the garden to be colorful and beautiful. You can have a tea party in her Acorn Tearoom. Find the acorn and oak leaf decorations carved into the tabletop. Now look at the real leaves on the trees. How many shades of green do you see? If it’s autumn, what colors do you see? In winter there aren’t many leaves. When you get home, paint a picture of all the flowers that you remember blooming in the garden.

Green Man’s Lair
Glimmer is the magician fairy. He cleared a passageway beneath the large ‘Winterthur’ azaleas so you could discover the gigantic face of the Green Man peering up from the ground. Each spring, he wakes the earth from its long winter slumber, and the world becomes green again. Be extra careful at the Forbidden Fairy Ring. It’s a circle of mushrooms left by the fairies when they danced at night. Never, ever step inside a fairy ring-if you do, you might disappear into the fairy land…unless, of course, that’s what you want to do!!!

And so, dear children, that’s the story of how my friends and I made Enchanted Woods. Remember–when you come to play in the garden, you’ll never be alone.

We love you,

Cobweb and the fairies (and one elf)