The Christmas tree in the conservatory is decorated with dried
lilies, cockscomb, dahlias, hydrangea, marigolds, roses and
other flowers that are grown on the estate.
The first documented Christmas tree in America was erected in
1747 in a Moravian church in Bethlehem, Penn. Such trees were
usually two- to three-foot tall wood pyramidal frames decorated
with evergreens and hung with candles, apples and paper verses.
Such a tree is on view in Schimmel Hall, so named for the wooden
eagles and birds carved by Wilhelm Schimmel that are displayed
there.
A reproduction of the Krimmel tree, one of the earliest known
images of a Christmas tree in America that was painted by
watercolorist Lewis Krimmel between 1812 and 1820, is on view in
the Shipley Room. The tree is decorated with cookies and a
tableau of animals and figures is displayed beneath the tree.
A Christmas tree decorated with dried lilies, cockscomb, dahlias,
hydrangea, marigolds, roses and other flowers grown on the estate
holds center stage in the conservatory where the family Christmas
tree stood. A tree decorated as it might have been by the du Pont
family in the 1930s and 1940s with glass ornaments and colored
lights, which were cutting edge back then, stands in the library
where the family opened presents after Christmas lunch. Another
tree decorated in Victorian style stands on the second floor of
the house.
Three rooms were combined to form the Chinese parlor, which was
designed to display the wallpaper, which illustrates Chinese
social hierarchy.
Tabletop trees on view are surrounded by plates of cookies
just as in the period before the Civil War. As prosperity increased
after the war, celebrations became more elaborate. Recreations of
the lavish meals and towering trees of the late Nineteenth Century
are also on view. A 48-inch kissing ball harkens back to the
Victorian era
The du Pont dining room table, made in Baltimore just after the
Revolutionary War, is set with a whimsical blend of antique and
contemporary china and crystal. The dining chairs were made in
New York for Victor Marie du Pont, who lived there until 1805.
The Empire parlor is representative of the latest period of
American decorative arts the du Ponts collected. The room was
never used by the family; instead it was gathered as a future
museum exhibit.
The elegant Montmorenci staircase that was made from elements
of the one from the circa 1822 estate of the same name in
Warrenton, N.C., is decorated with poinsettias and evergreen swags.
Henry Francis du Pont adapted what was once a single-story round
staircase to create a sweeping two-story oval configuration. He
added a sitting area beneath with Federal furniture, the star of
which is a mahogany settee made in Portsmouth, N.H., two chairs and
two worktables that complement the staircase. For parties he
installed a band beneath the stairs for dancing. The area is
arranged for the season as it would have been in the 1930s or 1940s
for a Christmas dance.
For information call 800-448-3883, 302-888-4600 or
www.winterthur.org.
