By El Clauss, tour program assistant

When Henry Francis du Pont designed a dinner table setting, he always began with flowers. Several days before the party, his head gardener, Joseph Feliciani, would bring him cuttings from the garden so he could choose the centerpiece flower. Once that was decided, all other iterations of that flower would be removed from the house so as not to ruin the surprise. For my design, however, the flowers were the last piece I figured out.

When asked to create a setting that had an H. F. design feel, I wanted to connect the display to our Focus On: Ceramics Tour. I also wanted to highlight the different colors in the dining room—green, blue, yellow, and pink. Collaborating with Leslie Grigsby, senior curator of ceramics and glass, I discovered the charming green glass goblets. From there we chose from the wide array of items in the collection with the famille rose–patterned china, which is featured in the Focus on Ceramics tour.

Symmetry and balance were key elements of H. F.’s designs, which I also incorporated. Since he preferred to dine by candlelight, candle holders needed to be included. The two ladles I chose connect the outdoors with the indoors, as H. F. often did. One ladle’s handle features a basket of flowers, to represent the garden; the other shows an image of George Washington, to represent the collection.

H. F. purchased most of the blue linens from Marshal Fry, a prominent New York-based ceramist, teacher, and American impressionist painter, who turned to creating colorful linens for tablescapes in the early 20th century. As Maggie Litz notes in her article “The Politics of Placemats,” “In mid-twentieth-century America, Fry was who you called if you took entertaining seriously.”[1] The blue with dark blue borders set was chosen because it brings out the blue on the ceramics beautifully. Lastly, I worked with our head florist, Heidi Militana, to design the centerpiece, which is bursting with yellow roses and blue hydrangeas.

We hope visitors will agree that we have set a table fit for a du Pont. Come see the display in the Du Pont Dining Room on the Self-Paced House Tour and let us know if we captured H. F.’s penchant for a well-laid table.

[1]Read more about Marshal Fry, his connection to H. F. du Pont, and how he revolutionized table linens in America in “The Politics of Placemats,” The Magazine Antiques, January 3, 2025.

By El Clauss, tour program assistant

Imagine you got a letter from your dear friend requesting a lock of your husband’s hair. Once you received it, you picked up a pair of scissors and cut not only a lock of his hair but also a lock of your own. After entwining them, you sent them off to your friend. Upon receiving the hair, your friend enclosed the locks in a brooch and engraved it with the story commemorating your friendship.

This probably sounds strange to us in the 21st century when we share photos with friends and family hundreds or thousands of miles away. However, prior to photography, exchanging locks of hair was a common token of friendship.

This is a true story about Mrs. Elizabeth Stoughton Wolcott of Connecticut. She was married to Oliver Wolcott Jr., the first auditor of the United States and the second treasurer after Alexander Hamilton. She wrote a letter to her close friend Martha Washington asking for a token of their friendship. It is said that Mrs. Washington instantly took her scissors and, with a happy smile, cut a large lock of her husband’s hair, added to it one of her own, and presented them to her “fair friend.” While we are unsure exactly when Mrs. Wolcott had a brooch made with the hair enclosed, it would have celebrated their friendship. However, when George Washington died it took on a new role: mourning jewelry.

Mourning jewelry are unique personal adornments worn during a period of mourning to commemorate someone who died. Originating in the Middle Ages, this jewelry tradition grew in popularity and the designs changed greatly over the years. The jewelry could be a ring, a necklace, a cane handle, a watch fob, a bracelet, or a brooch and were worn by everyone regardless of gender. People gave them to close relatives and friends at a funeral, even leaving money in their will to pay for them. It was also common to use mourning jewelry to commemorate political figures like George Washington.

After Washington died, there was an outpouring of memorial pieces created to honor him. Winterthur features numerous examples in the collection, crafted in a wide variety of media. It can be argued that the brooch made for Mrs. Elizabeth Stoughton Wolcott, while perhaps not initially intended as mourning jewelry, would certainly have become one upon his death. Mrs. Wolcott would have felt honored not just by the token of friendship it represented but also by her ability to wear such an important piece of jewelry to honor the loss of President Washington. Thanks to her family treasuring the piece for generations before they donated it to Winterthur, we are now able to share in its rich history. In doing so, we memorialize not just George and Martha Washington but also their lasting friendship with the Wolcotts.

Simple Tips for Home Care

You can take small steps at home to prevent damage and slow down deterioration of your cherished items. At Winterthur, and at other museums, we call this preventive conservation and have staff members dedicated specifically to that work. Preventive conservation is a lot like preventive medicine. Everything that is man-made or from nature decays; think of it as nature’s recycling plan. To protect and preserve the museum collection, our staff works to slow the rate of that decay by managing things like insects and pests, light exposure, and the environment via heating and air conditioning. Here are some tips that you can use at home:

1. Housekeeping

Good housekeeping is an important part of protecting items that you want to last. Cleaning inside includes regular dusting and vacuuming, and dry-cleaning fine clothes after use and before storage. Outside, cleaning gutters and downspouts to prevent leaks can all help. Dust holds moisture, which can rust metals and encourage mold growth.

2. Pest Control

Insects like dark, undisturbed spaces. If you clean regularly, you’ll probably spot early signs of an infestation, like insect droppings, which may just look like dust. If pests are eating your items, a thorough vacuuming can help. For example, carpet beetle larvae like to hide in cracks where hair and skin particles collect, so you may notice that your carpet has damage that follows the pattern of the flooring. For items that can withstand high heat, place them in a black trash bag and leave them in your car trunk while parked in direct sunlight for several hours to kill any pests.

3. Storage

We don’t recommend storing objects in attics or basements because it’s difficult to maintain a stable environment. Basements have issues with moisture and can flood, and attics can have seasonal temperature extremes; too cold temperatures can cause shrinking and cracking, while temperatures that are too hot can cause swelling and warping. Also, temperature and humidity work hand in hand and can cause chemical reactions and encourage mold or insect growth. We recommend storing cherished items in spaces that you live in and use.

4. Record Keeping

Write down the history of your items—who gave them to you, who is in the photos, and why they are important. This helps preserve their significance and keeps the information safe for future generations. Be sure to back up digital records and print copies for long-term use.

5. Storage Methods and Materials

Museum-quality storage materials are often called archival, acid-free, or buffered, among other names. They can be expensive for homeowners, but you can use everyday items you already have instead. For example, undyed/unbleached cotton pillowcases can protect a quilt, and rolled towels can be used to store a rolled carpet. If you need a more rigid storage method for rollable items, use a poster tube covered in aluminum foil, which acts as a barrier against moisture.

6. Light Protection

We all know that ultraviolet light is bad; it causes sunburn and can accelerate fading on some materials. Regular visible light, the light we use to see, can also cause slow, cumulative damage. It may take years to notice the subtle changes. To protect sensitive items like basketry and wood, textiles, and works on paper, avoid displaying them in direct sunlight. Use curtains, shades, or window films (replace every 15 years) to limit exposure to harmful light. You may also want to have covers made for your framed object so that when you aren’t enjoying the work and displaying it, it’s completely covered. 

For more tips, check out our book Caring for Your Cherished Objects, available in the Winterthur Museum Store.

See also our Hazardous Objects blog, the first in our Caring For Your Collections Blog Series.

Other useful links:

• Canadian Conservation Institute (CCI) – Ten Agents of Deterioration
• Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts (CCAHA) – Collection Housekeeping Guide
• San Diego Archeological Center – From inside the Vaults, Museum Housekeeping and Gallery Maintenance