Last Day in Williamsburg: DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum

A lovely silver gilt urn was one of the first things I spotted

After 2+ days looking at remarkable quilts, I decided to poke around the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum and look at some of the other displays. There were so many amazing objects to be seen. My head was spinning, and I must go back some time to see more. Here are some pictures of what I saw.

One of these Moravian flasks appeared on Antiques Roadshow years ago

Leeds Pottery Horse Figure, c. 1825, England

View of the regional furniture display

Another view of the regional furniture display

Charming school chair/desk. Looks more comfortable that the ones I used.

A handsome couple, but I'm afraid I didn't get their names...

Charles Wilson Peale's iconic portrait of George Washington

Early 1800s quilted handkerchief panel

Detail: panels were usually cut after printing, but this one remained whole

Embroidered work bag, c. 1675, England 

Beautiful quilted bonnet in pristine condition

What a spectacular collection they have! Every time I go to a museum of this caliber, I look closely at the methods of displaying objects. The quilt display was especially interesting to me. They were all displayed in cases, upright, and most were on panels set at a slight angle. This method of display takes a lot of the stress off the object, and I've seen it done before, but never throughout a whole exhibit.

Can't wait to go back. It's hard to believe it was only my first time visiting Colonial Williamsburg. I lived on the East Coast for more than 30 years, but somehow didn't get to places like Williamsburg and Winterthur. Had I known how great these places were, and how relevant they would be to me as a collector, I'd have gone frequently. If you haven't visited Colonial Williamsburg and the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum, put it on your bucket list.