Winterthur, An American Country Estate

Minneapolis, Minn.

:A passion for aesthetic beauty was all-encompassing during the life of Henry Francis du Pont (1880–1969), and nowhere is that better witnessed than within the meticulous gardens that he lavished his attentions upon at the family estate known as Winterthur, or among the exquisite collections of American antiques that he amassed and housed there. And while one must travel to Delaware's scenic Brandywine Valley to view his gardens, an impressive assortment of more than 300 iconic antiques from du Pont's Winterthur collection are now part of a traveling exhibition.

A continuation of Winterthur's 50th anniversary celebration begun in 2002, "An American Vision: Henry Francis du Pont's Winterthur Museum" is currently on view at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts through May 6. The exhibition marks the first time that many of these items have been outside the confines of Winterthur.

Not only is "American Vision" a celebration of Winterthur's golden anniversary, it is also a celebration of America as seen through the aesthetic eye of one of the country's greatest collectors. The exhibition reveals multifaceted cultures in colonial America with formative examples of furniture that range from the pinnacle of Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century high style to simple, utilitarian forms elaborately decorated by the Pennsylvania Dutch.

Born in 1880, an only son born to Henry Algernon and Pauline du Pont, Henry Francis du Pont became the sixth generation to reside on the sprawling 983-acre estate.

Du Pont returned home to Winterthur after receiving his education at Harvard, and the responsibility of tending the gardens was passed to him when his father became a member of the US Senate in 1906. One of the first areas of transformation under du Pont's watch was the March Bank, now the oldest surviving garden at Winterthur. March Bank was begun in 1902 after du Pont studied The Wild Garden by British horticulturists William Robinson and Gertrude Jekyll. It began with du Pont "naturalizing" daffodils on the bank, followed over the years with the addition of thousands of snowdrops, snowflakes, crocuses and squills. He also developed and improved the formal garden areas east of the house.

Du Pont married in 1916, and soon after he developed an interest in antiques. Between 1928 and 1932, du Pont doubled the size of the existing house at Winterthur and converted it into a virtual showplace for his varied collections. Concluding that the arts of the early days of the nation could best be appreciated in the context of the early American home, he acquired whole rooms from old houses and fragmented architectural elements that could be installed to serve as settings for the display of his Americana collection.