Winterthur (Day 11- 6/12/08)

We got a chilly reception at the Winterthur Library today (literally, not figuratively- it felt like winter in our first room!). I had not heard of Winterthur until it appeared on our syllabus, so I was not too sure what the day would be like. Our first part of the day consisted of a lecture done by Cathy Matson, a professor at the University of Delaware, that focused on consumption and consumers during the Revolutionary period. This was not something I knew too much about so it was interesting to hear what she had to say. After the lecture we went to the library that seems to be a big focus of the complex. The research center has 87,000 volumes and 500,000 manuscripts and images. What a great place for researchers to have to come and study American art and material culture. I thought the books we were shown were so interesting- especially the ones that were in the downstairs. I loved the clothing books- the amount of detail that was put into them was amazing! It was great to see something from a different time period because I think it gives an insight into their lives that you just can’t learn from reading about it in a book. Even the cookbooks the ladies kept also included little facts and details- so much more than what you find in a textbook!!

After a great lunch and a tour around the beautiful flower gardens, we began the afternoon. I was speechless when we went on the tour of Henry Francis du Pont’s mansion, I could not believe all the beautiful pieces that were displayed. I also couldn’t believe how huge it was, could you imagine being a child in that home?! I do think what Mr. duPont did was great, though, to collect all of these antiques and then give a way to display them and let everyone have a chance to see them. I would have loved to have had him give us a tour and hear what he had to say about everything in the house!

When we finished the tour we began the educational portion, which I thought was very meaningful. They seem to have a wonderful program for students to participate in and really do a great job. Our guide did a wonderful job, and we were able to do some really good activities. The last one we did, the artifact dig, was something I could see doing with my students. Anytime you study a certain time period, this would be a great way to show where everything came from- and I liked how she started the session off with us looking at our shoes to see where they came from, and then tying it altogether at the end. Very well done, and I would like to do that with my students too.