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A Visit to Winterthur
For decades, I've been trying to visit Winterthur, the famed estate located just outside of Wilmington, Delaware. Expanded by Henry Frances du Pont, it was one of the family seats of the du Ponts, who made a massive fortune with gunpowder and chemicals. They arrived from France in 1800, right after the Revolution. The du Ponts of Delaware were staunchly anti-slavery-- a good thing to be when you're supplying materials to the Union Army. (Other du Ponts in Florida did own slaves.) The family built a number of grand homes in the Brandywine Valley. Winterthur began in 1837 as a modest 12 room mansion, but Henry, a fourth generation scion, expanded it to its 175 room current size. It is the fifth largest home in America. Henry's interests included farming, gardening, animal husbandry-- he raised prizewinning Holstein-Freisian cows. But his claim to fame was the grand house. he filled with antique furnishings and interiors. At Winterthur, each of the thirteen original colonies is represented by a roomful of antiques.
I began my tour with a tram ride from the visitor's center, through the rolling hills and gardens. In mid-March, the lavish flowering plants that the estate are known for weren't in blossom. There was, however, the March Bank, a massive hillside planted with blue, white, and yellow flowers, which opened as the afternoon sun arrived.
Entering the house, I was blown away by the beauty of the fully-realized historic rooms. Friendly and well-prepared interpreters were stationed throughout. One of the most interesting things was the large number of George Washington pieces. Portraits, busts, and even a set of Washington's dinnerware-- featuring the insignia of the Society of the Cincinnati, which he was instrumental in-- were on display.
—David Lucas
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Fraunces Tavern, New York City
I work at Philipse Manor Hall State Historic Site in Yonkers, New York, as an Interpreter. (No, I don't do translations; I give tours.) Our building dates from 1682-1685 and was the one of several homes of the Philipse family, who owned about a quarter of a million acres of Colonial New York. The Philipses were tossed out of the country when they, as Loyalists, picked the wrong side during the American Revolution. One of the things that transpired in Philipse Manor is the issuing of The Philipsburg Proclamation, which alerted those enslaved by Rebels that they would be freed if they joined the British Army. When the defeated British left, they took with them several thousand Black people, who ended up in Nova Scotia and, later, Sierra Leone. During the Treaty of Paris, it had been decided that the former enslaved would be returned, and a process called The Birch Trials was begun at Fraunces Tavern in lower Manhattan. A Book of Negroes was compiled to help return the enslaved to their owners.
The venerable Tavern has a small new exhibit on The Birch Trials, and I planned a day trip with my Manor Hall coworkers to go see the museum there. We enjoyed the Birch Trials capsule, but even more interesting were the spaces where George Washington headquartered and gave his farewell speech after the War. A large room (third row, left) replicates what the farewell scene looked like. Another space featured cases chock-full of memorabilia from the Sons of the Revolution, who operate the site. Still another room was full of images of comic books featuring Washington, (bottom row left and center.)
We stayed to have drinks and an excellent meal in the casual barroom of the sprawling restaurant. We finished the day at the new Perelman Performing Arts Center, just north of the locations of the former World Trade Towers, where we saw a rollicking play called Between Two Knees, which used satire to discuss the exploitation of the American Indians.
—David Lucas
Fraunces Tavern® Museum (frauncestavernmuseum.org)
The Birch Trials at Fraunces Tavern — Fraunces Tavern® Museum (frauncestavernmuseum.org)
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Unnamed Figures Exhibition
One of my favorite museums in New York is the Folk Art Museum on the Upper West Side. The main current exhibition is Unnamed Figures: Black Presence and Absence in the Early American North. It is a brilliant examination of the African American presence in American Art, within the context of folk art.
According to the museum's website, "Comprised of approximately 125 works, including key loans of overmantel paintings, portraits, needlework, works on paper, photographs, and other vernacular forms, the show will focus on representations of Black figures in New England and the Mid-Atlantic from the late 17th through early 19th century. The exhibition challenges conventional narratives that have minimized early Black histories in the North, revealing the complexities and contradictions of the region’s history." It not only delineates the moments where Black figures are depicted, but also discusses the times when we are eliminated.
One of the most interesting pieces (lower right) is a hand-painted and embroidered portrait of George and Martha Washington, with children Washy and Nelly, and a Black servant, believed to be Christopher Sheels. Based upon a popular engraving by Edward Savage, it would have been meticulously reproduced in paint and precious silk threads, by a young woman practicing her artistry.
This must-see exhibition will be on view until March 24, 2024.
—David Lucas
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