Washington Winter Show 2026

41 by Andrea Cochrane Tracey Executive Director, The Fund to Conserve U.S. Diplomatic Treasures Abroad T hink back to the happiness you felt when you received an unexpected or particularly meaningful gift from someone. Perhaps it was from a close friend marking a personal life event or from a colleague or organization as a sign of recognition or respect. Gift giving dates back thousands of years and is a human characteristic of cultures across the globe extending well beyond individual relationships. A gift given by one nation or its envoy to another is an enduring act of cultural diplomacy demonstrating respect, friendship, and a commitment to living in peace. MARKS OF FRIENDSHIP: U.S. DIPLOMATIC TREASURES ABROAD AMERICA’S REMARKABLE COLLECTION YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT Thus, it is not surprising that after 250 years, the United States now stewards a remarkable collection of treasures, many of them gifts, frombuildings to art and artifacts that are marks of diplomatic friendship. The Fund to Conserve U.S. Diplomatic Treasures Abroad and its public sector partner, the U.S. State Department’s Office of Cultural Heritage, are honored to share select objects fromAmerica’s little- known overseas collection at the 2026Washington Winter Show. Marks of Friendship: 250 Years of U.S. Diplomatic Treasures , this year’s loan exhibition, is the first time these museum quality objects are on public view in the United States. Drawn fromU.S. diplomatic posts around the world, they tell the story of the nation’s rise from a small, isolated, experimental republic to global leadership. AMERICA’S LIVING &WORKING DIPLOMATIC “MUSEUMS” The public, or representational, rooms in America’s embassies, consulates, and official residences serve as the daily stage for formal and informal meetings, negotiations, and other U.S. State Department activities. The heritage residences, in particular, contain museum-quality furnishings, ceramics, paintings, textiles and other objects which play an important cultural diplomacy role in their host countries. The State Dining Room, U.S. Ambassador’s Residence, Paris, France is adorned with Beauvais tapestries depicting episodes of the Trojan Wars that were made popular by the publication of the Comte de Caylus (1692–1765) Tableaux tirés de l’Iliade, de l’Odyssée, et de l’Enéide (1757). The tapestries date to 1760–1771. Donovan Marks, Donovan Marks Photography