Cherished objects and family heirlooms hold a special place in our lives. Whether they are personal letters, grandmother’s silverware, or the favorite stuffed animal from your childhood, these items all have significance and are part of your cultural heritage. Caring for Your Cherished Objects: The Winterthur Guide provides practical information about what you should and shouldn’t do to prolong the life of your objects, including advice about proper storage and display. The book will help you to assess your possessions, understand which objects are most vulnerable, and avoid the situations that will put them at more risk. Illustrations demonstrate the kinds of problems you may see on your own items or warning signs that indicate that some sort of action—whether preventive, conservative, or restorative—is warranted. Learn the difference between those terms. Sidebars in each chapter address the science behind the whys and hows to caring for the wide range of specific kinds of objects covered—from ephemera, documents, books, works of art on paper, photographs, and organic objects to textiles, ceramics, glass, metal objects, furniture, and frames. Included are the procedures that can be safely done by an owner as well as those that require the services of conservation professionals. So that you aren’t left to wander the Internet, a Resources section provides a list of reliable professional organizations as well as suggested readings, websites, and lists of suppliers to aid you in caring for your cherished objects. The authors of Caring for Your Cherished Objects are highly trained, experienced experts who have cared for thousands of precious objects and have a passion for the topic. In addition to caring for the collection at Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library, they teach, consult, and lecture on the care of cultural heritage to students, professionals, and the public.

This guide to the Joseph Downs Collection of Manuscripts and Printed Ephemera, named for Winterthur's first curator, provides descriptive information for the primary research material held in the collection. The Downs Collection acquires materials from the mid seventeenth century through the twentieth century that document American lifestyles, concentrating on the domestic scene and activities within the household and art. It includes such items as diaries, business accounts of craftsmen whose products decorated dwelling houses, family papers, tax records, construction of homes, artists' sketchbooks, wills and household inventories, children's toys and games, and scrapbooks and journals. Items from individuals famous in American history rest alongside materials from people who led routine lives yet still contributed to the development of America. An extensive microform collection, including copies of material owned by other public repositories and private individuals, supplements the manuscript holdings. Hardcover is un-jacketed.

The story of Henry du Pont and the museum of Americana he envisioned.

Winterthur offers a rare combination of beauty, history, art, and learning. Nestled in the scenic Brandywine Valley of Delaware, the estate is the former home of three generations of du Ponts, including Henry Francis du Pont, a scion of the family whose industrial achievements played a significant role in American history. Entering the estate, visitors encounter tangible reminders of its past. Rolling meadows, freshwater ponds, stone bridges, greenhouses, dairy barns, a vast garden, workers' housing, and an imposing mansion all remind us of the days when Winterthur figured prominently in the American country estate movement. In the 1920s, the property encompassed more than 2,600 acres and housed some 250 resident workers. It consisted of numerous farms; the finest dairy herd of Holstein-Friesian cattle in America; an expansive, wooded landscape with a naturalistic garden; and a family manor house that provided the perfect setting for country-house weekend entertaining. While developing the family home as a country estate and collecting the finest American decorative arts, H. F. du Pont was also beginning to envision a wider role for his Winterthur--one that would eventually include opening the mansion and grounds to the public, offering all a glimpse of life in the past: "My idea of Winterthur is that it is a country estate museum, to show Americans of the future what a country place and farm were like." Since 1951, its guests have enjoyed just that experience. Today Winterthur's thousand-acre estate offers much for visitors to explore: a world-class museum of decorative arts that celebrates the best in style and craftsmanship; a romantic landscape of incomparable beauty that imparts the peace and great calm of a country place; a naturalistic garden that combines the art of horticulture and landscape design; and a superlative research library that supports Winterthur's graduate programs in early American culture and art conservation.