Winterthur, DE

Every year, Winterthur Museum near Wilmington, Delaware, gives us a picture of Christmas in the past. Above is an early tree decorated with candles seen in an inn setting off of the court which is surrounded by historic building fronts including the Red Lion Inn which was located near present Bear, Delaware. Next we see a four poster bed complete with stockings laying on a snowy white bedcover. And since there are fabulous floral arrangements all year in the museum, flowers are saved and dried to create this dream of a tree made of these colorful flowers.

Next we see a dining room setting with ribbons connected to a chandelier (aside: I learned that the museum has breakaway connections at the top of the chandelier so that a pull on the ribbons won’t bring down a valuable chandelier). The partygoers would pick a ribbon and follow it to the far end, where they would find a present. Then we see a designer’s creation of a peony tree (the gardens have a wonderful peony collection). Finally, the popular Montmorenci staircase, which was originally in a South Carolina home and altered to fit into Winterthur. For reservations, see http://www.winterthur.org/?p=529 . The good news for me and my friends was that Yuletide at Winterthur was free for Winterthur members!

I took advantage of my member benefits yesterday at Winterthur and took a special interest tour. Since I was the only person taking the tour, the guide, Nancy, let my interests guide our path. I saw wonderful ceramics,and brass sconces which took the shape of twisted branches and could have been at home in a contemporary home. There was a little glass sugar jar decorated with white glass cane work from England, and panelling from a Tappahannock, Virginia home, of a most unusual pattern. These rooms are not on the general tours, and no photography is allowed.

However, I am presenting this collage of scenes on the grounds, including the Enchanted Woods. Enjoy!!

A visit to see the Christmas decor at Winterthur Museum in Delaware, brought this 1830's building with many later additions to light in a holiday manner yesterday. Choosing not to take a tram, but to walk on snowy paths from the visitor center was a refreshing experience on this sunny day.

If visitors had entered the former home of Henry Francis duPont through the Port Royal entrance with elements taken from a Philadelphia home, they would have come through the doorway in back of this first tree. A tree made of azalea blooms was another star, and the best use of lights (IMHO) was the March Bank tree, catching the mood of flowers blooming in the snow on a hillside on the grounds of the museum.

Featured this year are several rooms set up for the 1938 wedding of duPont daughter Pauline to Alfred Harrison on January 15 of that year. And good old Dad indulged Pauline's wish to have Butterfly Bushes in bloom, even though they are summer flowering. Here you see the conservatory set up with the desired flowers, as well as buffets set up for over 800 guests.

The dining room shows how Mr. duPont might have put together items from his collection of glassware, china, and linens for the holidays. Especially striking was the centerpiece of miniature red orchids. And being a collector of ruby glass, I appreciated his choice of glassware.

Mr. duPont always had a party for his employees and their children, and went to choose their presents at the Wilmington Wanamaker's store after it had closed for the evening, and had all the presents delivered to the estate. The presents, along with ice cream treats, were presented at a "clubhouse" on the grounds. And the last picture is of the Chinese Parlor as it would have been at holiday time with Mr. duPont's gift for his wife, a bunch of red roses, placed next to the piano, where the family gathered to sing Christmas songs (except Dad couldn't carry a tune so he was asked to listen). Always a delight, Wilmington Delaware's Winterthur Museum is a real Christmas treat!

By Adam Zewe

Winterthur, an American country estate, is the former home of Henry Francis du Pont (1880-1969), an avid antiques collector and horticulturist. In the early 20th century, H. F. du Pont and his father, Henry Algernon du Pont, designed Winterthur in the spirit of 18th- and19th-century European country houses.

A visit there today proved to be most interesting, one of the reasons being I thought I knew the paths through the gardens. Well, they moved them, actually a good idea for a hot afternoon, because I was able to stay in lots of shady areas. They have also added a feature--a small group tour of one floor in the museum is included in general admission now. There you see displayed actual rooms moved from houses in all 13 of the original colonies, along with antiques from a collection of 85,000 objects.

Here's a sneak preview of what you would see on the grounds and in the museum.