Henry F. du Pont and Winterthur Reviews

Author: Ruth Lord
Edition: First
Publisher: Yale University Press
Binding: Hardcover
ISBN: 0300070748
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Henry F. du Pont and Winterthur: A Daughter`s Portrait

World renowned for its vast woodland gardens, its 175-room house, and its unrivaled collection of American decorative arts, Winterthur in Delaware is today among the most beloved museums in the United States.Henry F. du Pont and Winterthur review. In its earlier days Winterthur was the family home where Ruth du Pont Lord grew up and where her father, Henry E du Pont (1880-1969), envisioned and then brought to fruition his great museum of Americana.

In this memoir, Ruth Lord engagingly describes the development of Henry F. du Pont from a shy, lonely child, a seemingly hopeless student who had bad times at school, to a man who went on to achieve singular distinction in three disparate fields -- as art connoisseur, horticulturist, and eminent cattle breeder. Based on her personal experience, and on extraordinary family archives, the author provides a behind-the-scenes view of the legendary lifestyle of the du Pont family, brings to life other family members, including her brilliant mother and irrepressible aunt, Louise Crowninshield, and tells of her father's many additional activities, which culminated in his leadership role in Jacqueline Kennedy's White House restorationRead full reviews of Winterthur Garden: Henry Francis du Pont's Romance with the Land.

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Categories: Women - Memoirs, Letters, Biographies, Art->Collectors and collecting->Biography, Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum. Contributors: Ruth Lord - Author. Format: Hardcover

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Categories: Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum, Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum Gardens (Del.), Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum. Contributors: Denise Magnani - Author. Format: Paperback

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Categories: Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum, Decorative arts->United States. Contributors: Wendy A. Cooper - Author. Format: Paperback

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henry f du pont and winterthur a daughter s portrait the internet bookshop uk ltd isbn 0300070748 title henry f du pont and winterthur a daughter s portrait author lord ruth publisher yale university press publication date 1999 binding hardback condition very good sku 824760 description details 1999 yale university press hardcover book vg dj good edgewear small chips tears bw frontis 9 5 x 6 300 pp profuse bw illus shipping delivery times uk 3 5 working days mainland europe and usa 7 10 workin

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Henry F. Du Pont and Winterthur

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Henry F. du Pont and Winterthur Reviews

In its earlier days Winterthur was the family home where Ruth du Pont Lord grew up and where her father, Henry E du Pont (1880-1969), envisioned and then brought to fruition his great museum of Americana.

In this memoir, Ruth Lord engagingly describes the development of Henry F. du Pont from a shy, lonely child, a seemingly hopeless student who had bad times at school, to a man who went on to achieve singular distinction in three disparate fields -- as art connoisseur, horticulturist, and eminent cattle breeder. Based on her personal experience, and on extraordinary family archives, the author provides a behind-the-scenes view of the legendary lifestyle of the du Pont family, brings to life other family members, including her brilliant mother and irrepressible aunt, Louise Crowninshield, and tells of her father's many additional activities, which culminated in his leadership role in Jacqueline Kennedy's White House restoration.Henry F. du Pont, or Harry, as he was commonly known, was something of a pack rat. Luckily, he had exacting taste and meticulously documented his vast collection of antiques, furniture, and beautiful things. The son of the wealthy senator and Civil War hero Henry Algernon du Pont, Harry spent his early years floundering around in school, struggling both with academics and athletics, and found few, if any, pursuits at which he excelled. After graduating from Harvard with a less-than-stellar academic record, Harry moved back home to Delaware. There, for lack of anything better to do, he began to manage the family's vast estate, which included sprawling gardens and even bigger cattle farms.

Soon du Pont found his métier. He and his wife established four majestic homes--one each in Manhattan; Southampton; Boca Grande, Florida; and, most famously, Winterthur, Delaware--which they filled with their ever-expanding collection of antiques, art, carpets, and sundry knickknacks. Du Pont took immense pleasure in every detail of domestic life--carrying on a decades-long correspondence with a linens purveyor, for example, in which the two discussed every possible minutia of stitching and quilting, and carefully overseeing the choice of flowers, china, and even doilies for household luncheons.

In 1931, du Pont decided to share his passion with the public and dedicated his beloved Winterthur as a museum. After doubling its size to house all of its holdings, the museum opened in 1951. Du Pont did not stop there. He chaired the committee to save the Cooper Union Museum (now the Cooper-Hewitt Museum of Design) and helped Jacqueline Kennedy redecorate the White House. This affectionate biography, written by the du Ponts' daughter, Ruth, offers an intimate view of one of the century's great cultural philanthropists. --Anna Baldwin