Explore Our Blogs
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We invite you to explore our blog postings on the beauty, history, and research at Winterthur!
A Love of Tulips
By Josh Horowitz As an estate guide at Winterthur, I’m often asked…
Tattooable Designs in the Winterthur Library
By Allie Avis The Winterthur Library is a global center for the…
Caring for Your Collections: Textile Conservation Tips
Textiles are more than just fabric; they weave together the stories of…
Setting the Table
By El Clauss When Henry Francis du Pont designed a dinner table…
H.F. du Pont’s Enduring Legacy: 5 Lessons in Timeless Design
By Allie Kochinsky Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library stands as a testament to…
“Full many a flower is born to blush unseen…”
By Julie Hadsell “It is a truth universally acknowledged” that Jane Austen…
Caring for Your Collections: Caring for Your Family’s Gravestones
This edition of Caring for Your Collections blog posts comes from Binh-An…
Memorializing Friendship
By El Clauss Imagine you got a letter from your dear friend…
Caring For Your Collections: How to Protect and Preserve Your Family Heirlooms
Simple Tips for Home Care You can take small steps at home…
Caring for Your Collections
Whether they are tracking pests, finding poison books, fixing a broken porcelain…
How to Dry Flowers the Winterthur Way
Inspired by Henry Francis du Pont’s love of flowers, Winterthur’s Dried-Flower Tree…
Udderly Magnificent
This year’s gingerbread display is based on the farming operations that once…
Yuletide Gift Guide
‘Tis the season of giving, and we believe that gifts should feel…
Bancroft Woodcock and the Delaware Antiques Show
For more than sixty years, the Delaware Antiques Show’s recognizable trademark has…
Delaware Antiques Show: Meet the Dealers
Dan and Karen Olson Antiques What drew you to the Delaware Antiques…
The Peale Painters, Conversations in American Art
By Kedra Kearis, Ph.D., associate curator of art and visual culture Not…
Poison Book Project earns worldwide publicity
A recent feature by The Washington Post on the Poison Book Project…
Embracing New Acquisitions with Historical Significance
Many visitors to Winterthur are surprised to learn that our collection is…
New Library Acquisition: The Kendall Family Receipt Book
By George Drake Nowadays, a purchase at many stores concludes with the…
Magic and Memories: Story Time Adventures in Enchanted Woods
Two-year-old Miles toddled into the Story Stones area in Enchanted Woods at…
New Library Acquisition: The Appleton Ledger
By George Drake The word “ledger” calls to mind neat columns of…
Mowing the Meadows
While Winterthur’s museum and galleries are home to impressive artwork and craftsmanship,…
Honoring Our Oldest Trees
Five areas of forested land at Winterthur were recently inducted into the…
New Life for the Old Gatehouse
Winterthur recently received a grant to preserve its historic Old Gatehouse. Located…
Furniture Makers to Create Magic Wands for Winterthur Guests
On Enchanted Summer Day, a group of volunteers will use their hands…
Battling Algae with a Splash of Color
Beneath the serene surface of Winterthur’s ponds, an unexpected sight catches the…
Artisan Market: Get to Know the Grant Recipients
From innovative biophilic designs to authentic native beadwork to stunning sustainable fashion, this year’s…
Revolutionizing Beekeeping: The Keeper’s Hive Story at Winterthur
As Winterthur’s dedicated beekeeper for four years, George Datto is more than…
Winterthur acquires painting depicting a free Black woman in pre-Civil War Maryland
WINTERTHUR, DE (May 4, 2024) – Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library has…
Gifts for Mothers and the Special Women in Your Life
Finding the perfect present is as easy as a trip to Winterthur!…
Prescribed Burn Ignites Life at Winterthur
Tendrils of haze drifted across a meadow at Winterthur on a cool…
It’s Electric! New Tram a First for Winterthur
Winterthur staff recently enjoyed a serene journey around the estate aboard the…
A Delectable New Addition
Winterthur recently acquired a one-of-a-kind, gilded silver hot chocolate set with dainty…
Journey Through Time: Toy Trains and the Historic Railway of Winterthur
Children of all ages have loved toy trains for more than a…
Fashioned from the Garden
Shoes shaped from leaves and adorned with seed pod heels. A larger-than-life…
The Art of Tablescaping
By Rachel Schmid When planning a table setting, I like to think…
A Gingerbread Wonderland
Combine the warmth of a holiday culinary classic with the magic of…
Object Highlight: Animal Box
November is American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month and we’re highlighting…
How to Photograph Fall at Winterthur
Written and Photographed by Eileen Tercha A favorite vista of Henry Francis…
A Feather in Her Cap
Thousands of hours of work have been reverently spent preparing Winterthur’s new…
Ghost Stories of Winterthur
Winterthur is many things. On paper it’s a museum, garden, and library,…
An Ann Lowe Inspired Playlist
“Ann Lowe was an exemplary creator in American fashion who happened to be…
Perfect the Art of Picnicking
Perfecting the art of picnicking is more than curating tasty provisions. What…
Breeding the Best: The Dairy Herd at Winterthur
Farming operations—including a dairy herd, animal husbandry, and crops to feed both…
Top Places to Picnic at Winterthur
With more than 1,000 acres of land, there are so many wonderful…
Exploring a Career in Conservation
Winterthur recently welcomed this year’s ten-member cohort for the Six-Week Introduction to…
Learning the Ropes
The muscles in Dennis Coker’s arms tightened as he adjusted his grip…
Meet the Artisans
Winterthur’s Artisan Market is fast approaching. Here are just a few of…
Family at Heart of Winterthur
Family has been at the heart of Winterthur’s story since the du Ponts…
Sounds of the Summer
Have you ever wandered around Winterthur and felt like it all wasn’t…
Delaina’s Debut
Delaina Jolley has always felt like an artist. “I remember being five…
Whirlwind Weekend Stop at Winterthur
Five people who organize group excursions from China disembarked a little late…
The Joy of Juneteenth
Benjamin Sterling Cannon hadn’t been to Winterthur since he was about 10…
Take a Hike!
By Collin Hadsell “Winterthur has a lot to offer.” That’s a sentence…
Stars to Guide You
Congratulations—or félicitations, as they say in French—are in order, even if we…
The Peony Garden
A celebration of full-blown spring, this area reaches its peak in late…
Bearing Witness to History
An Exhibition That Invites Visitors‘ Voices By Kim Collison, curator of exhibitions…
Pointing to the Future
By Collin Hadsell Imagine you’re a bird. The soft winds of May…
Sip & Savor Among the Blooms: Get to Know the Wines
By Abigail Miller Wine through Winterthur Winterthur’s founder, Henry Francis du Pont…
Ironing Out a Problem
Some might think there’s a simple solution to saving outdoor sculpture that’s…
Remembering the Colfax Massacre
The years after the Civil War were rife with violence and unrest…
Gifts for Mothers and the Special Women in Your Life
Finding the perfect present is as easy as a trip to Winterthur!…
Walk This Way
Henry Francis du Pont was the consummate host. He loved showing guests…
Heroine of Horticulture
Marian Cruger Coffin (1876–1957) was one of the first American women landscape…
Sterling Advice: Curator Ann Wagner Quoted in New York Times
I hope my wife doesn’t read this blog post because it might…
The Well-Dressed Window
Henry Francis du Pont is one of the great collectors of American…
Behind the Seams: Ann Lowe: American Couturier
When Jacqueline Bouvier married John F. Kennedy in 1953, it was the…
Object Highlight: The “Four Seasons”
These earthenware figures cheerfully represent the “Four Seasons,” also reflected in Henry…
Wintertime at Winterthur
Find Respite and Renewal There is something special about the wintertime at…
A “Dream House” Comes to Winterthur
Nancy B. McDaniel was an interior decorator and collector who was well-acquainted…
Run, Run, to Come and See Them!
Gingerbread models are at the museum! It took a team from Bredenbeck’s…
A Yuletide Floral Tradition
Colorful flowers have always been a vital part of Winterthur, both inside…
Tips for New Collectors
What’s the difference between a collector and a pack rat? Focus, knowledge,…
Deirdre Murphy
Since childhood, Deirdre Murphy has been fascinated by nature, citing it as…
Holes for One
Henry Francis du Pont loved golf so much, he built his own…
Object of the Month: Rebus
I find these objects amazingly relatable to today’s communications, a revolutionary sort…
Simply Magical
Winterthur’s Enchanted Woods is a fantastical place for kids to be kids.…
Play Ball!
In its working days, Winterthur was large enough to field a baseball…
What Jackie Saw at Winterthur
At Winterthur, Jacqueline Kennedy found priceless treasures and a great deal of…
Winterthur Bloom Report 29
Bloom Report #29 July 19, 202379F, Cloudy Clethra alnifolia “Hummingbird” Summersweet cultivar…
Object of the Month: Plaster Cat Figure
By Jeni Jackson Assistant manager, tour programs I am the resident cat…
Too Tall for the Shelf
This towering clock by the renowned Peter Stretch stands as the most…
Liberty for All?
A unique museum object represents a history of strong responses to complex…
Object of the Month: Billiard Table
One of my dad’s favorite games is pool, so we had a…
My Perfect Day
By Ann Wagner, curator of decorative arts As a lifelong museum visitor,…
120 Years of Daffodils
Since 1902, Narcissus have helped define the Winterthur Garden. Since March, they’ve…
Object of the Month: Flask
Flask (Pocket bottle) As the morning sun spills through the east-facing windows…
Recreating a Beloved Dress by an American Couturier
In 1953, American couturier Ann Lowe designed the wedding dress for future First Lady…
A Devotional Manuscript’s Story
Digitizing a unique and delicate manuscript makes its many mysteries accessible. What…
A Perfect Frame for a Unique Picture
The Quarry Garden bridge offers several perspectives on a beautiful space. A…
Five Things You Never Knew About Jacqueline Kennedy
In 1961, Jacqueline Kennedy tapped Winterthur founder Henry Francis du Pont to…
Uncovering Undercover Toxins
After discovering arsenic in some vintage books, a conservator spreads the word on safety. …
Object of the Month: Duncanson Painting
Landscape in the Smoky Mountains, Tennessee To me, there are works of…
A True Tour de Force
Jacqueline Kennedy’s 1962 televised look inside the White House influenced a generation.…
Wearing Its Winter White
Our weeks-long bloom of snowdrops lightens the winter blues. See them while…
Stefania Urist
Stefania Urist wants people to think about the importance of trees. A…
Object of the Month: Frog Mug
This English earthenware mug from the late 18th century, created with the…
Michael Kalmbach and Creative Vision Factory
A new outdoor bench at Winterthur connects communities through history, memories, and…
Beyond Transformations: Daniel Feinberg
Dan Feinberg’s Radish Project could prove a solution where asphalt paving is…
Elissa Edwards and Élan Ensemble
Elissa Edwards combines historic music and sounds from nature to create a…
Kim Hall and Justin Hardison, Nottene
The Winterthur landscape inspires Nottene’s redesign of the galleries lounge. Kimberly Hall…
Object of the Month: Ceramic Turkey Tureen
In the 1500s, Spaniards introduced domesticated turkeys from the Americas to the…
Object of the Month: Hornware Basket
“Autumn and apple-picking are always paired thoughts in my mind, and the…
Beyond Transformations: Heather Ossandon
Heather Ossandon’s ceramic still life stays rooted in the everyday while transcending…
Rob Finn
The art of Rob Finn is a bittersweet reminder that life is…
Object of the Month: Grecian Couch
“My favorite object, from a purely aesthetic point of view, is the…
Chairs of the Fed
Winterthur deconstructs Alexander Hamilton’s seating to see what it might say about…
Object of the Month: Globe or Terrestrial Sampler
In 1815, when 14-year-old Ruth Wright embroidered her last stitch in the…
Object of the Month: Mechanized Color Guide
Catharine Dann Roeber was teaching a course in interior design when the…
Rolling in a Vintage Rolls
Driving a car from the 1920s is an experience all its own.…
A Look Inside Outside In
Exhibitions manager Kim Collison discusses H.F. du Pont’s inspirations and enduring influence…
Fifty Years of Remarkable Science
Did you know that Winterthur might have saved Lady Liberty from ruin? That it…
Mysteries and Implications: The Secrets of Ruth Wales du Pont’s Wedding Dress
A central element of the recent exhibition Winterthur’s Lady of the House:…
Object of the Month: Pier Table
“This pier table greets visitors with its lanky legs, hairy-paw feet, and a powerful stance that seems to say, ‘Look at me!’ How…
The Story of Winterthur
Amid the hills of the historic Brandywine Valley, where the paper was…
Historic African American Dioramas Are No Longer Forgotten
Resting atop a worktable in the Winterthur painting conservation lab is a…
Garlic Mustard—Springtime’s Worst Offender
When managing the natural lands, I’ve found it’s almost like a strategy…
Silhouette Sleuthing: The Mystery of the Weston Profile Artist
What started as simple research into a silhouette in the Winterthur collection…
Looks Good Enough to Eat!
As well as studying early cookbooks, prints, and paintings, those of us…
Goats of Winterthur
As the weather warms and the meadow grasses flower, Winterthur’s herd of…
Commemorating Coronations
For the first time in more than 70 years, a new monarch…
H. F. du Pont's Chestertown House
It’s 1919, and you have a one-year-old daughter. Delaware summers can be…
The Ephemera of Love
Valentine’s Day —a day celebrating love, a thriving industry with billions of…
Millions of Bulbs?
The upcoming Bank to Bend event on March 11, 2023, celebrates the…
Halloween Fortunes
For 14-year-old Helen Weld, Halloween in 1884 meant visiting a local bowling…