1929 saw a major renovation by du Pont to enlarge the house and gardens. He hired the landscape architect Marian Coffin who shaped and sculpted Italian Renaissance gardens on the property. In 1969 Henry du Pont died at the age of 88. His once loved family home is now home to a premier collection of American decorative arts dating from 1640 to 1860. The former swimming pool is now a peaceful reflecting pool. The 985-acre property includes rolling hills, streams, meadows, and forests. Museum guests can enjoy a narrated garden guide tram tour or a walking tour of Winterthur's celebrated 60-acre naturalistic garden.
The galleries of Winterthur include three permanent exhibitions and one changing exhibition. Featured in the Thomas A. Graves, Jr. Gallery is 200 Years of Childhood, on display until February 19, 2001. This exhibit looks closely at the furniture, books, clothes, toys, and games used by children between 1700 and 1900, and tells the stories about growing up in America.
In the Dorrance Gallery is another permanent collection: The Campbell Collection of Soup Tureens, which displays beautifully, crafted tureens shaped like rabbits to cauliflowers, from rococo to classical. This extraordinary collection includes tureens made from sculpted metals, precious porcelains, and elegant earthenware. An example of a finely crafted tureen is one made for the coronation banquet of George V in 1821.
As Winterthur founder Henry Francis de Pont once wrote, "The story of Winterthur tells the greatest story of our time-the story of the American people."
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