July 03, 2021
By Laura Ochoa Rincon, '22
When observing a piece of miniature furniture, one might at first assume it to be an item marketed for children. While that assumption is not entirely incorrect, it is far too narrow. In reality, miniature furniture made in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries served a range of uses. While some miniature furniture was made for children, many furniture makers specialized in miniature furniture for display use. It is not ...
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June 04, 2021
By Catherine Cyr, '22
In September 1928, Henry Francis du Pont wrote to furniture dealer Isaac Sack indicating his desire to purchase a “Satinwood and mahogany chest of drawers with five oval satinwood panels.”[1. Henry F. du Pont, Henry F. du Pont to Israel Sack, Southampton, Long Island, New York, September 5, 1928.] Not long after acquiring the chest of drawers from Sack, du Pont loaned the item to the 1929 “Girl Scout Loan Exhibition” in ...
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June 04, 2021
By Rachael Kane, '22
As a child, I loved kaleidoscopes, with their visions of twisting, shifting colors as small glass pebbles knit and unknit themselves in fantastical patterns. I had a similar reaction to a pair of highly decorated glass vases at the Winterthur Museum. Dated between 1840 and 1860, these vases feature the distinctive patterning of the Bohemian glass tradition. However, upon closer inspection, I noticed that these vases are engraved ...
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May 28, 2021
By Jena Gilbert-Merrill, '22
This ladies’ writing desk, a recent and somewhat anomalous acquisition to Winterthur’s collection, presents us with a unique materiality, extravagant ornamentation, and an intriguing multipurpose function. This object combines a writing desk, a game table, a sewing box, and a vanity. The desk also comes apart, transforming so that the user may access the different functions contained within.[1. The painter Richard ...
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