Delaware Antiques Show 2025

Student Scholars lectures sponsored by Winterthur Program in American Material Culture Presents Sunday, November 9 | 2:00 pm–3:30 pm Eleanor Shippen, Lois F. McNeil Fellow An American Story: Interpreting Regionality in an East Tennessee Desk By 1796, migration along the Great Wagon Road had introduced sizable numbers of craftspeople trained in Pennsylvania, Virginia, North and South Carolina, Maryland, and Kentucky to the new state of Tennessee. Shippen examines an Early Republic fall-front desk and discusses how the variety of attributions applied to its origins illuminates the interconnected nature of cabinetmaking traditions in the American South and provides exciting opportunities for future interpretation. Ashley Vernon, Lois F. McNeil Fellow Just Being Theatrical: Elements of the Stage Portrayed on Delftware Tiles A visual language once connected to the stage is depicted in a Sadler and Green theatrical series delftware tile from the Winterthur collection. Vernon explores its enchanting characteristics and discusses the literary ties between Shakespeare’s works and the transfer-printed design. Drawing from print sources, she shows how this series goes beyond decoration to evoke a visual reminder of the enduring narratives of the theatre. STUDENT SCHOLARS Each year the Delaware Antiques Show highlights the research of Lois F. McNeil Fellows from the Winterthur Program in American Material Culture. Winterthur and the University of Delaware, with the full support of Henry Francis du Pont, established this graduate program in 1952 to promote the interdisciplinary study of American decorative arts and material culture. The program’s alumni hold distinguished positions internationally in museums, antiques and auction houses, preservation organizations, historical societies, colleges, and universities, and libraries. — 11 —