Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library: A Glimpse into American Decorative Arts

Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library offers a unique experience, immersing visitors in American history, art, and horticulture. The estate was once owned by Henry Francis du Pont, a prominent antiques collector and horticulturist. The name 'Winterthur' itself has Swiss origins, tracing back to the hometown of Jacques Antoine Bidermann, who married into the du Pont family.The museum's collection includes nearly 90,000 objects, displayed within the magnificent 175-room house, arranged as they were when the du Pont family lived there. Visitors can explore period rooms showcasing American domestic architecture, furniture, metalware, textiles, paintings, and prints from 1640 to 1840. The main house tours offer an in-depth look at the collection, but the tours are altered frequently to give returning visitors a new perspective.Beyond the mansion, Winterthur's 1,000 acres include a 60-acre naturalistic garden, considered one of America's finest. Designed by Henry Francis du Pont, the gardens feature diverse plant species and garden designs. Visitors can wander through tree-lined paths, discover the enchanting 'Enchanted Woods,' and enjoy the serene beauty of the landscape. The Winterthur Library is a research center dedicated to American artistic, cultural, social, and intellectual history from colonial times into the twentieth century.