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THE WELL-DRESSED WINDOW Henry Francis du Pont is recognized as one of the great collectors and historians of American decorative arts and one of the country’s early interior designers. His canvas was Winterthur, and his vision began with the acquisition of woodwork, ceilings, and floors from historic houses threatened with destruction. Within that framework, du Pont furnished his rooms with antiques, primarily American. His passion for detail in all aspects of decoration extended to the design and execution of his curtain collection. He spent an infinite number of hours looking at paintings, engravings, and books to find the correct representation of each room and was actively involved with the selection of the antique textiles, braid, tassels, and fringe (fig. 1) . Du Pont took great care with the placement of furniture and objects in his rooms, striving for symmetry and balance and introducing color and pattern through the Fig. 1. The design of the curtains in Chestertown Room may have come from Chippendale’s Director . “I feel very strongly that the curtains, bed hangings, etc. will make all the difference in the house.” —Henry Francis du Pont, 1940 — 111 —