Yuletide at Winterthur Will Feature Royally Inspired Trees and More in "Treasures of Holidays Past"

Wednesday, September 20, 2017 2:31 PM UTC

Winterthur, Delaware, Sept. 20, 2017 --

“Treasures of Holidays Past,” this year's theme of Yuletide at Winterthur, will feature a nod to royal influence on the season in this enchanting exploration of holiday traditions of the late 1800s and early 20th century in 22 rooms of Henry Francis du Pont’s former home. Yuletide will be open November 18, 2017 -- January 7, 2018.

A spectacular display in the Galleries sets the tone for the season, where a new exhibition series, Eye on the Iconic, launches in pageantry with Royal Splendor: The Coronation Gown from The Crown, on view from October 20 through January 7. The magnificent coronation gown worn by Claire Foy as Queen Elizabeth in The Crown, a Netflix series, inspires the Yuletide tour to celebrate royal influences on holiday traditions with a recreation of trees enjoyed by Queen Victoria’s family at Windsor Castle in the 1850s. Other treasures of Christmas long ago featured throughout the tour include displays of vintage Christmas cards, candy containers, cake boards, cookie cutters, toys, books, and other items drawn from the museum, library, and private collections.

“The Yuletide tour has been a fixture at Winterthur for decades – in 2019 we will be celebrating its 40th anniversary – but each year we bring something new to it,” said Debbie Harper, Senior Curator of Education. “This year part of the emphasis is on the idea of ‘collecting Christmas.’ Several displays focus on holiday ephemera – cards, and candy boxes, and other things that most people throw away – which some folks instead have chosen to save, acquire, and amass into captivating collections that are delightful to discover, but which also help us to see through the cultural lenses through which people viewed the holiday in different periods.”

Winterthur’s majestic Dried Flower Christmas Tree will dominate the Conservatory. Other Christmas trees will show how lights and ornaments changed from the 1880s to the 1960s.

“The Yuletide tour is a walk through time,” according to Harper, who has researched American holiday customs for 30 years to develop the tour and for 20 years has been the curator in charge of it. “American holiday customs have changed a lot over the centuries, and while there are broad trends, every cultural group, every family, brings something unique to its celebrations, and that means there is always more to discover."

Other areas will showcase a full-room realization of a scene from Clement Moore’s A Visit from St. Nicholas, Christmas cookies, a collection of early 20th century candy containers, a collection of late 19th-century and early 20th-century Santa and Belsnickle figures, and multiple displays depicting how the du Pont family celebrated the holidays at Winterthur in the first half of the 20th century.

“We look at celebrations of a couple hundred years ago, and compare them to what happens today, and that can be surprising. Then visitors will chime in with their own stories of their childhood traditions, or share decorating ideas or favorite parts of their family’s celebrations, and it makes it all very social and fun. People just enjoy it. They come off the tour smiling,” Harper said.

Winterthur’s magnificent 18-room dollhouse, created by designer and philanthropist Nancy McDaniel over 30 years, will be decked out for the holidays in the Galleries. This year it will be accompanied by two of Winterthur’s iconic rooms designed by du Pont – the Cecil Bedroom and the Queen Anne Dining Room – and recreated in the 1980s by renowned miniature artist Eugene J. Kupjack.

Visitors to Winterthur can also enjoy fun and festivities at jazz and wine events, concerts, lectures, and performances, all wrapped up in a breathtaking blend of beauty, history, and tradition.

“I work with fabulous antiques, the best of the best, and bring them together in H.F. du Pont’s gorgeous rooms to tell fascinating stories of a beloved holiday – is that not a delightful way to spend one’s time?” Harper concluded. “This job is a treasure in itself.”

Timed tickets are available online or by calling 800.448.3883. Tickets are free for Members, $22 for nonmembers, $20 for seniors and students, $5 for children, and free for infants. During Yuletide, Winterthur is open seven days per week, 10:00 am–5:00 pm, and closed Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.

Attachments:


	View royally inspired holiday trees enjoyed by Queen Victoria at Windsor Castle during Yuletide at Winterthur. Image Courtesy of Winterthur.


	Montmorenci Staircase decorated for the holidays during Yuletide at Winterthur. Image Courtesy of Winterthur.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/5cf104e4-0289-44f2-ae8d-b319aee9a643

Attachments:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0a163efa-e7ba-495c-8e9d-0cca39e9c9fa

Attachments:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/47f7f8ef-265e-446b-b085-5560a3e73807

Liz Farrell
Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library
302-888-4803
[email protected]

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Yuletide at Winterthur Will Feature Royally Inspired Trees and More in "Treasures of Holidays Past"

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