Now that Marty is retired, it opens up the opportunity to explore unique destinations that we can enjoy mid-week rather than on busy weekends. Today we chose to visit Winterthur, the name of Henry Du Pont's family home located in northern Delaware.
My friend, Kathy, had introduced me to this magnificent estate three years ago, and I was eager to visit with Marty. And, what better time than when it has just been decorated for Christmas?
Today was a dreary, grey, rainy day, which made it perfect for touring inside. And I noticed that the low light added a charm to the beauty of the interior, which you will note in many of the photos featuring the trees throughout the house.
Our tour began at the back of the house, where a wide spanned wooden eagle stood sentry, adorned with blooming poinsettias.
In the corner of the glass enclosed room, stood a tree entirely decorated with dried flowers from the estate.
It was obvious that a lot of time and creativity went into the finished product.
Upon entrance to the house, we were greeted by an adorned spiral staircase under which stood a tree decorated in the theme of the nutcracker. It was based on the original White House Christmas tree that had been under the direction of Jaqueline Kennedy during her first Christmas as First Lady.
Each of the trees were adorned based on themes used by various First Ladies in years past.
This tree features musical instruments and stands in the room with a harp in the distance. Notice the beautiful mural on the wall just past it.
Here you see ornament crafted from natural supplies: Pine Cones and florals among them.
One of the rooms was filled with Santas of all shapes and sizes.
This parlor did not contain a tree, but is worth mentioning due to its decor. Mr. DuPont insisted on decorating according to time period. Here you see Chinese Wall Paper, made in 1790. He found it in Paris in 1920, unused and in perfect condition. There is no repeat to the pattern. The furniture is from the late 1700's made in the US, to fit in with the time era of the wall paper. Certainly a clever way to decorate.
Moving on, we came to this tree which is commemorative of Barbara Bush's love of Children's books. Look closely, and you'll spot Humpty Dumpty sitting on top!
The dining room featured a festive table
The porcelain urn that you see here is actually an ice cream holder. Jackie Kennedy was among the first to have the opportunity to enjoy the treat at table when she visited Winterthur.
I tried to capture a clever photo of Marty and me in the mirrors of the cabinet, but, unfortunately, I'm looking at my phone instead of the mirror. Shucks!
Hand embroidered ornaments hang upon this evergreen,
with cross-stitched and needlepoint beauties standing in front. I couldn't help but think that out there somewhere, somebody is thrilled that their hard work is being displayed for all to enjoy.
Here the tree is adorned with ornaments made by the members of the staff at Winterthur.
Then there was just one last room to enjoy before departing from the house. You can see how brilliantly the lights from the tree illuminate the room.
Once outside, we decided to head down to the building that features special exhibits.
There were just two trees in the lobby, both featuring vintage ornaments
as well as vintage paper decorating the boxes.
We headed up the stairs to explore the special exhibit featuring Jaqueline Kennedy and her role in redecorating the white house.
She had consulted Henry DuPont in her quest to improve the interior, and he was instrumental in offering her advice regarding transitioning the white house into museum quality for the people to enjoy.
Walking through the door to the exhibit, one sees the set up for Jackie Kennedy's television interview where she gave a tour of the completed rooms. I though that the set up was very clever, as it appears that one is actually on the set of the filming.
The exhibit was fascinating, and we learned about the step by step process in transforming the rooms from start to finish. There was a wealth of information to absorb.
We walked through the museum which held many collected artifacts that had been collected by DuPont over many years. Here are just a few unusual examples.
Downstairs, just off the lobby, we found the gingerbread version of Winterthur. It smelled lovely!
and just around the corner was this huge dollhouse.
From here we headed out the back door to the small hallway that holds a large collection of Campbell Soup Tureens. There were tureens from the early 1700s, some from China, Russia, Denmark, and various countries. I've selected a few of my favorites.
This is a porcelain tureen made in Naples at the royal porcelain factory. It was used in the household of King Ferdinand IV between 1793 and 1796 and features views of Naples painted on the front.
the turkey comes from Strasbourg, France, and was made about 1755.
This beauty was made at the Chelsea factory in London in 1754 and features Aesop's Fables.
And, finally, we see two more modern tureens. On the left was made in New York in 1975, and the frog on the right in 1983. I have the feeling neither were actually used for the purpose of holding soup, but they are certainly entertaining to view.
At this point, we were ready to head out, since it was raining, and touring the grounds didn't seem appealing. So, we headed to Roz and Rocco's for an early dinner. We had enjoyed a scrumptious meal there on our anniversary and were looking for the opportunity to visit again.
As expected, the food was scrumptious, and the conversation with Christine, very entertaining. The perfect ending to a fascinating day!
