Revisiting Winterthur

On Wednesday, Marty and I decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather and make a trip to the former DuPont estate, known as Winterthur.  The weather was a bit nippy, but the sun was bright in the sky, so we decided to walk from the parking lot, which was a delight in itself, as we found ourselves trodding under a trestle bridge loaded with twinkle lights, resulting in quite a magical look.

Along the path, we passed the green houses which had several decorated trees for our enjoyment.  I took several photos, but they somehow have disappeared from my phone.  I'm not quite sure how that happened, but I did manage to find one to share. 

Soon we found ourselves strolling along a stone path lined with lanterns, with the house in the distance. 

We entered the sunroom that adjoins the house to once again enjoy the adorned stone eagle and the tree that is constructed each year from flowers that have been picked and dried from the many species on the grounds of this estate. 

 If you recall, last year's holiday display featured Christmas trees which were decorated to represent the passions of selected Presidential First Ladies.  We enjoyed seeing the clever displays of evergreens enhancing the rooms as we toured through the mansion.

It didn't take long for us to realize that this year's tour was quite different. 

The dress that you see in the distance is a recreation from the original designed by Anne Lowe, a woman highly esteemed as a famous courtier fashion designer.  Her story is quite remarkable as she was the granddaughter of an enslaved woman who in her own rights, had an unusual talent for dress making.  

Anne's talents were recognized at a very young age, as she was designing her own patterns at the age of ten. A Tampa socialite hired her to design and create gowns for her twin daughters, and soon, Anne's dresses were highly esteemed and she would find herself featured in Vogue magazine.  

The theme throughout the house was based on several chosen creations designed by Anne Lowe.   Some were trees that reflected a particular ballgown

and some were copies of a dress design.

And, then, there were some old fashioned Christmas decorations to delight us.

There is a gallery adjacent to the house which tells the story of Anne's career and features many of the dresses that she designed over the years.  Some are recreations...others are originals.   Here are just a few that I found particularly enchanting. 

Anne designed the wedding gown for Jaqueline Bouvier Kennedy.  There was a copy on display, but it seemed to be the eye of the crowd, so I didn't have the opportunity to take a photo.  

The Smithsonian asked her to make miniature duplicates of all of the First Ladies Inauguration Ball Gowns.  Two were on display behind glass for protection. 

Being a former seamstress myself, I could appreciate the fine details in the design and sewing of these amazing creations.  But it was obvious that Marty wasn't as enthralled as I, so we decided that we had seen enough and that we would get outside to walk back to the visitor center. 

But, not before stopping to see the gingerbread creation which was a representation of the "Enchanted Garden" featured on the grounds of the estate.   

Let me mention here that it smelled amazing!  

We headed outside to the reflection pond

which features a lovely view of the house in the background, 

and we strolled along the path until we came to the Enchanted Garden.

This was when I could appreciate the fine details that had gone into the gingerbread creations. 

Very entertaining. 

Our last stop was the Sundial Garden before heading home. 

Touring the decorated mansion prompted us to finish hanging the outside lights on our own house.  But as soon as we walked outside with decorations in hand, the weather changed from sunny and bright to cloudy, windy and cold, and it certainly didn't take long for my fingertips to feel frozen!  

So much for that brilliant idea.   Luckily, it was warm and toasty inside.  

Hope you enjoyed my our adventures to Winterthur. We look forward to revisiting in the spring when the grounds will be filled with luscious blooms to enjoy.  I'll be sure to keep you posted!