Henry F. du Pont and Winterthur

Description

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. In its earlier days Winterthur was the family home where Ruth du Pont Lord grew up and where her father, Henry F. 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. Contents Foreword Preface Chapter 1. The Golf Cottage Chapter 2. Earlier Generations Chapter 3. Grandparents and Their Contemporaries Chapter 4. The Colonel Chapter 5. Early Childhood Chapter 6. Groton Chapter 7. Harvard Chapter 8. Finding Himself Chapter 9. Ruth Chapter 10. Early Married Life Chapter 11. Times of Crisis Chapter 12. A Child's Perspective Chapter 13. Louise Chapter 14. Parties and Food Chapter 15. Harry & Ruth Chapter 16. Money Chapter 17. A Passion to Collect Chapter 18. The Masterpiece Within Chapter 19. The Museum Opens Chapter 20. Private and Public Chapter 21. The Ninth Decade Chapter 22. Afterthoughts Appendixes Abbreviations Notes References Acknowledgments Index