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Housing & the Fellowship Experience

Winterthur’s semi-rural location on the former estate of Henry Francis du Pont offers researchers serene surroundings.

Two renovated estate residences—the Visiting Scholars Residence (VSR) and Foulsham House—offer fellows spacious accommodations.

Creating an Intellectually Safe and Supportive Environment

The Winterthur Research Fellowship Program is dedicated to creating a safe and socially-just environment for our fellows. This includes, but is not limited to: engaging in actions to support BIPOC scholars, creating a harassment-free environment, acknowledging and actively combatting systemic racism and inequality inherent in cultural heritage and academia, and fostering an environment that welcomes sustained and sustainable efforts to support robust scholarly and professional discourse. We welcome engagement with all topics, practiced with respect and care, in service of these goals.

Ethics Policy

Fellows, like our staff and volunteers, are expected to act with integrity and in accordance with rigorous ethical principles. Failure to comply with Winterthur’s code of ethics or research misconduct policy may result in termination of the fellowship and disqualification from future fellowship funding.

Housing

All in all, the fellowship was exactly what I was hoping for, and more. The possibility of on-site housing was excellent, the landscape around is beautiful, and it was a pleasure to walk to the museum and library in the mornings. I only wished I had more time…

Lars Preisser, artist, Maker-Creator Fellow, 2020-21

The Research Fellowship Program offers on-site housing for fellows on a space-available basis (current rate: $600/month or $60/night, utilities included). Rental payments are billed separately and not deducted from the fellowship stipend. Overnight guests can be accommodated by pre-arrangement and subject to a supplemental housing fee. Prior to arrival, fellows are required to sign a housing agreement. 

Fellows are welcome to inquire about on-site family accommodation and other short-term housing opportunities in the area. While we know that pets are family, too, we cannot accommodate pets in our on-site housing.

Two renovated estate residences—the Visiting Scholars Residence (VSR) or Foulsham House—offer fellows spacious accommodations and amenities, including:

  • 3-4 private, air-conditioned bedrooms with 1-2.5 shared baths
  • a large kitchen and dining space outfitted with utensils and supplies
  • a furnished common area
  • use of a washer and dryer
  • wireless internet
  • complimentary bicycles, a grill, and other amenities. 

Both buildings are within walking distance of the museum and library, but complimentary bikes are also available for this commute.

Please inquire to Chase Markee, Academic Affairs Administrator, (cmarkee@winterthur.org) with any questions about booking accommodation.

Getting Here & Getting Around

Winterthur is located about 25 miles from Philadelphia and its airport, and is accessible by Amtrak, regional rail, and local public transportation from Wilmington (about 7 miles away). Wilmington Train Station also houses four major rental car agencies. Uber, Lyft, and taxis operate in our area as well. A car is best for getting around outside of the property independently, but carpools and ride services can be arranged. Fellows receive a welcome packet that includes addresses and navigation to local amenities, like grocery stores and shopping centers. Numerous coffee shops and restaurants are located within a few miles of Winterthur’s property.

Research Fellowship Offices and Use of the Library

All research fellows receive dedicated office space for the duration of their residency. These offices are in the heart of Winterthur’s Academic Programs Department in the Louise DuPont Crowninshield (Research) Building just upstairs from the Winterthur Library.

Fellows are given badged status during their time at Winterthur and have access to their offices beyond business hours. Office amenities include a desk, wireless internet, free printing and scanning capabilities, private space for taking calls or meetings, and use of the furnished staff lounge and kitchen.

Fellowship privileges include:

  • Access to Winterthur Library’s circulating collections and comfortable research space
  • Borrowing privileges (for residencies longer than 2 weeks)
  • Interlibrary loan requests and downloading digital collection images (free)
  • Access to a photocopier and an overhead book scanner
  • Use of 3 computer stations
  • Use of in-house collection databases and numerous research databases available through the institution’s academic affiliation with the University of Delaware’s graduate programs, all free of charge.

Please review the Library’s current hours and procedures for making appointments to view rare books and other special collections materials.

Additional Amenities at Winterthur

Winterthur’s 1,000 acres of gardens and naturalistic landscape offer fellows daily opportunities to be in nature while they are in residence. With hundreds of miles of trails, fellows can enjoy walking, running, relaxation, and picnics in our green spaces from dawn to dusk.

Winterthur’s Pavilion Café in the Visitors Center offers lunch options and light fare on days when the museum is open to the public. Fellows receive a staff discount when presenting their badge. 

A post office operates Monday through Friday. Express packages and mail can be sent and received here.

Fellows are also afforded complementary admission to museum and garden tours and programming. Special arrangements may be made for fellows to attend Winterthur conferences and symposia at discounted rates. The Winterthur badge also provides some discounts and reciprocal admission at regional sites.

Apply now.

Re-Presenting Black Womanhood

Highlighting objects from the Winterthur collection, this exhibition invites visitors to engage with stories that celebrate Black women and confront racial and gender stereotypes. These objects highlight the creativity, ingenuity, and complex lives of their creators. Phillis Wheatley, Rachel Ann Lee, Lavinia Craig Casper, and Freda de Knight excelled in their roles as writers, mothers, daughters, chefs, homeowners, entrepreneurs, and students. Yet, each of these women challenged anti-black stereotypes that permeated their worlds and their lives. Who were these women? What were the prevailing stereotypes they each faced? How are cultural institutions and artists confronting these representations today? Museum collections, like those at Winterthur, offer opportunities to honor Black women and to honestly address objects that reinforce negative representations. 

See the exhibition.

Erica Wilson: A Life in Stitches

Erica Wilson (1928-2011) was arguably the most successful embroidery designer, teacher, and entrepreneur in America during the second half of the 20th century. Her highly successful business included books, kits, a television program, and retail shops. Erica’s presence as the expert on all things needlework was larger than life, and her embroidery designs were well suited to the sensibilities of the 1960s, ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s.

Erica Wilson: A Life in Stitches delves into the life and work of the “Julia Child of needlework.” Wilson’s successful 1970s television program that taught needlework was one component of business ventures that included embroidery kits, books, newspaper and magazine columns, public appearances, and a store bearing her name on New York’s Madison Avenue.

The exhibition is the first to look closely at Wilson’s extraordinary career and life and to document an extensive collection of her work—from the colors, textures, and looks of homes and clothing in the 1960s and 70s, adorned with charming and sometimes outrageous needlework, to the 1980s and 90s, when Wilson used new media to reach younger embroiderers. Drawing on an extensive collection of items donated to Winterthur Museum and borrowed from Wilson’s family, the exhibition features an eclectic range of Wilson’s more contemporary designs, including her bargello go-go boots and embellished clothing. Erica Wilson celebrates her love of craft, her success as an entrepreneur, and her work that continues to inspire makers of today.

http://ericawilson.winterthur.org/

Erica Wilson: A Life in Stitches By Linda Eaton & Anne Hilker

Learn More

Spode

Since Josiah Spode (1733–97) popularized blue printed pottery in the late 1700s, it has had a universal and lasting appeal that still resonates today. This interactive exhibition is a comprehensive resource for the study of Spode printed designs and their sources, focusing on the blue printed patterns of Spode c. 1784–1833, Spode family history and business, and life in the Staffordshire Potteries of that period. 

The database allows users to search every known Spode pattern, many shapes and colored versions, and the source prints and original Chinese porcelain designs that served as inspiration. Of special note is an interactive version of Spode’s 1820 Shape Book. Visitors are able to virtually turn the pages of this rare document, of which only two copies are known.

The project was spearheaded by the Transferware Collectors Club in collaboration with Winterthur and The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England. It was funded by a generous donation from Klaus and Marcia Zeck and a research grant from the Transferware Collectors Club. Viewers are invited to submit new pattern versions and shapes to further enhance this groundbreaking exhibition. 

View the exhibition.

Lasting Impressions

Sparked by the gift of an important collection of Currier & Ives prints to Winterthur, Lasting Impressions: the Artists of Currier & Ives highlights the contributions of Frances Bond Palmer and Arthur Fitzwilliam Tait, two of the most prolific artists who worked for this iconic publisher of Americana in the 19th-century. The exhibition was on display in the Winterthur Galleries from September 17, 2016 to January 8, 2017.

View the online exhibition.

Who’s Your Daddy: Families in Early American Needlework

View a Web cast featuring retired curator Linda Eaton discussing many of the items from this exhibition, which was composed of Winterthur collection objects and was on view at Winterthur October 4, 2008, to August 17, 2009. A PDF of the gallery guide also offers an in-depth look at exhibition highlights.

A leader in the field of interdisciplinary textile scholarship, the late Linda Eaton retired in 2020 as the John L. and Marjorie P. McGraw Director of Collections at Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library. She co-curated the exhibition Who’s Your Daddy? Families in Early American Needlework (October 4, 2008–May 17, 2009) with Alison Buchbinder and Samantha Dorsey .