WHY WINTERTHUR?
Why Winterthur for a Lafayette exhibit, since it was not in existence until after Lafayette’s 1824 Grand Tour?
The answer is quite interesting!
LAFAYETTE’S AIDE-DE-CAMP
During the French Revolution, one of Lafayette’s aide-de-camp was Victor Marie du Pont, who later moved with his brother, Eleuthere Irenee, to Wilmington, Delaware by 1802.
Meanwhile Victor built a home also alongside the Brandywine River, which he named Louviers.
Between 1810 to 1818, Eleuthere Irenee (E. I.) du Pont bought land near Brandywine Creek for farming and sheep raising.
WINTERTHUR
Meanwhile, Jacques Antoin Biderman was born to Swiss parents in Paris, France, although the family home was in Winterthur, Switzerland.
During Paris’s turbelent political years, Jacques grew up at the family home in Winterthur, Switzerland, returning to Paris at age 14 to learn the family fiancier business.
In later years, Jacques arrived in Wilmington, Delaware with letters from Lafayette to help him make business connections.
One of his business partners, while in France, was E. I. du Pont, who became his father-in-law.
After Jacques married Evelina Gabrielle du Pont, he purchased 445 acres of E. I.’s land for their own.
On their land, from 1839-1842, they built a manor house that they named Winterthur.
LAFAYETTE’S 1824 VISIT
While Lafayette made his Grand Tour through America, he stopped in Wilmington on October 6, 1824 to visit his friends, the du Pont’s.
While there he attended the wedding of Victor’s son, Charles Irenee du Pont to Dorcas Montgomery van Dyke at Louviers.
Family lore states that Lafayette gave away the bride.
LAFAYETTE COLLECTOR
Years later one of the descendants, Henry Francis du Pont inherited Winterthur which he turned into a museum full of his favorite early American artistic pieces…which I toured a couple of years ago.
This Lafayette exhibit was assembled by some pieces in storage, and others that have been on display in the Winterthur mansion.
What? I walked past Lafayette items without realizing it?
LAFAYETTE 1824 COLLECTIBLES ON EXHIBIT
Here are a few of my favorites…
This lovely plate commemorates arrival in New York, his first stop in America on August 16, 1824.
An etching of Lafayette’s arrival in New York…
The intricacy of detail with all that verbiage on that handkerchief about Lafayette!
Plates…
Leather gloves with an image of Washington and Lafayette…
Buttons…
Urns with images of Lafayette and Washington…
Can you see the Lafayette’s name on the edge of the chair?
Winterthur’s Lafayette exhibit from 1957, the 200th anniversary of his birth…
After I read through everything, one of the docents came through so I stayed to listen to all the addiitonal input!
