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.
Uncorked! Wine, Objects & Tradition
Uncorked! presents a fascinating and incredibly broad range of wine-related materials—from wineglasses and cellarettes to song sheets and paintings—and, in total, includes more than 300 objects from the Winterthur collections and promised gifts.
The Flowering of American Tinware
Selections from Winterthur’s superb collection of painted and decorated early American tinware are on display in our galleries (May 2013 – January 2014) and now are online for the first time. This pocket-sized exhibition highlights the origins of this specialized craft as well as artistic techniques for decorating and practices still in use today.
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/
The Daniel & Serga Nadler Collection of Chinese Export Porcelain
Virtually experience the Winterthur Galleries display that was unveiled in November 2012 to honor the promised gift of an important collection of Chinese export porcelain. Wares made in the 1700s and 1800s for consumers in Britain, America, and Continental Europe are featured as well as porcelain for Indian and other Islamic markets.
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.
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.
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.
Made for the Trade
Native Americans have been making objects to trade and sell to non-Native groups for hundreds of years. This exhibition features a selection of these objects from the Winterthur Collection including baskets, bowls, and even knitting sheathes. The exhibition was on display in the Winterthur Galleries from March 2011 to September 2012 and is now available digitally.
Winterthur Garden Internship Program
The Winterthur Garden Internship Program began in 1991 and is a continuation of H. F. du Pont’s educational background and lifetime of experience in horticulture, landscape design, and estate management. The program’s mission is to help educate the next generation of horticulturists and environmental stewards while preserving and maintaining the spectacular treasure that is the Winterthur Garden and estate.
Internships are available in the following areas:
- Arboriculture (1 position)
- Grounds Management (1 position)
- Horticulture (4 positions)
- Natural Lands Stewardship (1 position)
These internships are primarily summer internships, typically running from mid-to-late May through mid-to-late August (a duration of roughly three months). The exception is the internship in Grounds Management, which can begin as early as March 1. Exact start and end dates for all internships are flexible and will be worked out with the Internship Coordinator prior to each intern’s arrival.
All interns work a 35-hour week, 7:00 am–2:30 pm, Monday– Friday. They also have the option to work an additional five hours per week. Interns receive a wage of $10 an hour and qualify for free housing on the property.
Interns work closely with experienced staff, practice horticulturally and environmentally sound techniques, and learn to appreciate the history and design of Mr. du Pont’s beloved garden and estate. Interns also participate in a number of educational activities including weekly trainings and tours, plant identification classes, and field trips to public and private horticulture destinations in the greater Philadelphia region.
Additional opportunities for interns include assisting on Saturday mornings with Kids Grow!, Winterthur’s children’s gardening program. They also participate in Regional Intern Outreach Day, a workday and networking opportunity that brings together over a hundred interns from area gardens. At any time, interns may also contribute to Winterthur’s Garden Blog.
To apply for any of our internships, please send a letter of interest, résumé, most recent transcript, and two letters of recommendation to: jobs@winterthur.org. The deadline for most applications is April 1 (except for the Grounds Management internship, which is due by February 1). Searches will continue beyond the deadline if suitable candidates have not been identified. (Please note: Winterthur is currently unable to consider applicants from countries outside the United States.)
Have a question about the Winterthur Garden Internship Program? Please contact the Internship Coordinator: Nicole Schmid, Administrative Assistant – Garden, Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library, 5105 Kennett Pike, Winterthur, DE 19735, 302.888.4779, nschmi@winterthur.org.