Washington Winter Show 2025

43 This page is sponsored by Mrs. H. Bartholomew Cox and Hillwood— representing a nearly three-century sweep of American history. Focusing on the history of the individual houses and how the institutions that have saved and preserved them have had a lasting impact on the fields of collecting and historic preservation, the exhibition offers insights and inspiration to private collectors, curators, designers, preservationists, and other enthusiasts of antiques. The stories of how the original owners created and furnished their homes also reflect an evolution of an idea and practice of collecting that is distinctly American. During the colonial and early federal periods, Americans saw themselves as part of the “New World,” largely eschewing remnants of the past. Average Americans favored simple, functional, and practical items, while those of means sought out what was in the latest and most fashionable taste, whether imported or American-made. (A notable exception was Thomas Jefferson, who turned Fig. 1a: Cream silk embroidered waistcoat, originally owned by Thomas Lee Shippen, 18th-century. Collection of Stratford Hall, gift of William B. Shippen and Mrs. Edward Shippen in memory of Mrs. Lloyd Parker Shippen. Photograph by Tiffany Scott