Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library

Art museums	Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library
Country	the United States
State	Delaware
City	Winterthur
Location	Winterthur is located on Route 52, in the Brandywine Valley, six miles northwest of Wilmington, Delaware.
About the Museum	Winterthur, an American country estate, is the former home of Henry Francis du Pont (1880-1969), an avid antiques collector and horticulturist. In the early 20th century, H. F. du Pont and his father, Henry Algernon du Pont, designed Winterthur in the spirit of 18th- and19th-century European country houses. Rediscover America’s heritage through its unparalleled collections of antiques and Americana. Venture out over the fields and farmland to learn about the workings of a great American country estate. Wander through the breathtaking beauty of the 60-acre naturalistic Winterthur Garden. Youngsters (and the young-at-heart) will wonder at the magic of Winterthur’s famous fairy-tale children’s garden, Enchanted WoodsTM, and enjoy hands-on learning in the Touch-It Room. Researchers will find a wealth of resources awaiting them in the Winterthur Library.
Museum Collections	The collection of more than 89,000 objects includes furniture, textiles, pewter, paintings, prints, silver, ceramics, glass, needlework and brass. Highlights include Chippendale furniture by Newport cabinetmakers John Townsend and John Goddard; a set of six silver tankards by Paul Revere; paintings by Gilbert Stuart, John Copley and Charles Willson Peale; pewter by William Will; a pair of sofas owned by John Dickinson, “penman of the American Revolution;” Pennsylvania-German earthenware; and Chinese export porcelain, including a 66-piece dinner service made for George Washington. The library has 72,580 volumes of books, along with approximately 500,000 manuscripts, microfilm, periodicals, and photographs relating to the American arts to 1920; their European antecedents; and American history and culture. The garden contains a vast collection of exotic and native plants. Naturally landscaped meadows and woodlands surround the museum. Rare rhododendron and azaleas are massed in spectacular displays. The five-acre Pinetum contains an extensive collection of some of the rarest conifers in the eastern United States. Ponds and streams dot the rolling landscape. Miles of surfaced paths and woodland trails crisscross the estate.
Web site	http://www.winterthur.org/