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Dewitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum

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Art Museums Expansion

The tankard was made around 1795 and has tapered sides, a tall, domed lid, and a finial in the form of a pine cone. Its about 10 inches tall and can hold 6 cups of wine, ale or cider. The owners name isnt engraved on it, but the foundation says an owner might one day be identified by comparing its decorative features and weight with studies of Reveres shop records.

It is on display in the museums Silver from Mine to Masterpiece exhibition in the Margaret Moore Hall Gallery at the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum, 301 S. Nassau St.

Museum tickets: Adults, $14.99 youths 6 to 12, $8.99. Children under 6 get in free.

Museum admission is included in Colonial Williamsburg admission. Tickets: colonialwilliamsburg.org/tickets

The Dewitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum

  • Given the COVID-19 pandemic, call ahead to verify hours, and remember to practice social distancing
  • “There are plenty of exhibits.”
  • Todd A WilliamsDecember 20, 2016Went there to see a Christmas show today in the theater and it was just lovely. Really put me in the holiday spirit. Great for all ages. I must go back and walk around in the museum next time.
  • Lynn PriceAugust 12, 2013The folk art section is amazing. The Public Hospital exhibit is disturbing but a must-see for anyone interested in history.
  • Chad HembreeJuly 14, 2013The collections here are worth a visit all by themselves. Even my 8yo son found it interesting and fun.
  • Colleen DivenMarch 22, 2018There are plenty of exhibits. Really enjoyed our time here
  • Shantanu ChandraAugust 26, 2017The basement and the musical pianos.
  • Joseph DunnDecember 16, 2013The café closes promptly so if you need a break go before 4PM.
  • Shantanu ChandraAugust 26, 2017The basement and the pianos

Silver Collection Goes On Display At Williamsburg

  • Publish date: Sep 9, 2015

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. Renowned for having one of the worlds outstanding collections of British silver, the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum, one of the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, has been actively building its American silver collection since 2009.

An example of one item featured in the exhibition Silver from Mine to Masterpiece, to open Sept. 12, 2015 at the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum in Williamsburg, Va.

To mark the reinstallation of Colonial Williamsburgs permanent silver collection in its galleries comes Silver from Mine to Masterpiece, an exhibition of approximately 170 objects ranging from the typical to the exceedingly rare and dating from a circa 1530 ingot of silver to items made circa 1835. In addition to pieces from the permanent collection, the exhibition will also feature select objects on loan from private collections. The exhibition will be on view from September 12, 2015, to January 7, 2018.

For anyone who appreciates and admires silver from the colonial period to the early 19th century Silver from Mine to Masterpiece offers an extraordinary opportunity to see some of the finest examples of early English and American objects on view together for the first time and to learn about not only the objects themselves but also about silver as a material and the techniques used in its fabrication.

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Colonial Williamsburg: Milestone Anniversaries

Tour Bassett Hall and the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg free on Saturday, April 17, 2010, in celebration of museum milestone anniversaries. Complimentary admission enables guests to explore the gardens at Bassett Hall, the Williamsburg home of Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller Jr. During the restoration in 2003, the gardens were restored to their 1940s appearance. Hundreds of new boxwoods, dozens of fruit and shade trees, and thousands of bulbs were part of the 14-acre project. Since the Rockefellers visited Williamsburg in April and October, the garden was designed to be in bloom in spring and fall.

Bassett Hall guests also can tour the house and visit outbuildings that include a teahouse, smokehouse, kitchen and dairy. This historic home was given to The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation in 1979 by the Rockefeller family and opened to the public in 1980. Bassett Hall underwent an extensive restoration and re-interpretation in 2002-2003 that was funded by a generous gift of $2.7 million from Abby ONeill, granddaughter of John D. Rockefeller Jr., and her husband George. Bassett Hall and its gardens are located at 522 E. Francis St. and will be open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 17.

Preview Visit To The Dewitt Wallace Museum In Colonial Williamsburg

DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum
A Rich and Varied Culture, Archaeology, Collections, Conservation, Event, Preservation

Last June I had a wonderful opportunity to see a preview of the upcoming Exhibit entitled A Rich and Varied Culture: The Material World of the Early South that will open officially at Colonial Williamsburgs DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum on February 15, 2014. This Drayton Hall-sponsored trip included staff, Drayton family members, current and former advisory site council members, and other sincerely interested individuals.

The Drayton Hall group at the preview the author, in blue, stands next to the newly conserved Bureau Bookcase.

The author at the behind-the-scenes preview on the left, a newly conserved mahogany side chair that once graced Drayton Halls great hall.

The early 18th-century bureau bookcase before conservation. See its remarkable resurrection at Colonial Williamsburg with the opening of the exhibit in February 2014.

Seeing another piece of Drayton family furniture, the 18th-century clothespress, in the process of being restored was also exciting. I had remembered it as beautiful, but what it has become in its restoration is stunning.

Curators describe the process involved in the conservation of the Drayton family clothespress.

Viewing a selection of newly conserved Drayton porcelain objects that will in included in the exhibit.

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Museum Finds: Paul Reveres Tankard Is In Colonial Williamsburg

Part of an occasional series showcasing interesting pieces in area museums or highlighting the stories behind them. This week were at the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum of Colonial Williamsburg.

An often-told story of the Revolutionary War is that of Paul Reveres 1775 midnight ride. He rode through the outskirts of Boston warning rebel colonists that warring British troops were approaching. After he died, his trip became more revered though often inaccurately recounted through poetry and song, including Up with Peoples 1969 take.

Another of Reveres enduring legacies is his work as a silversmith.

The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation recently acquired a tankard made by Revere, one of about three dozen known to have been made in his shop.

Dewitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum

Art Museums

  • Sunday

    10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

The DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum houses a variety of the “finer things,” including the world’s largest collection of southern furniture and one of the largest collections of British ceramics outside England. Relax in the Portrait Gallery, attend a lecture or musical event in the Hennage Auditorium, or take part in a hands-on activity in the Education Studio.

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Dewitt And Lila Wallace

In 1922, the Wallaces published the first issue of their Reader’s Digest, largely a carefully selected compilation of magazine articles of many types. The concept was well received and soon became one of the most widely circulated periodicals in the world.

Laurance Rockefeller, whose parents were the original financial drivers of Colonial Williamsburg, was a longtime friend and associate of DeWitt Wallace, and Wallace, in turn became a major funder of the Rockefeller’s project. The Wallace’s also appointed Laurance Rockefeller as an outside director at Reader’s Digest. For relaxation, the Wallaces had been regular visitors to Colonial Williamsburg for over 50 years when they became involved as major financial supporters.

The museum opened in 1985, after the death of Dewitt Wallace in 1981 and Lila Wallace in 1984.

Colonial Williamsburg Celebrates Museums 25th Annivesary

“Lock, Stock, and Barrel” at the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg

Guests can enjoy free admission to the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg from 10 a.m to 7 p.m. and Bassett Hall from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, July 17, 2010, in celebration of the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museums 25th anniversary throughout 2010. Two new exhibitions will be open. Colonial Williamsburgs Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum features Material Witnesses: Quilts and Their Makers, a display of coverlets and quilts that tell fascinating stories of the men and women who produced the intricate and colorful bed coverings of the 19th and early 20th centuries. The exhibition is made possible by a gift from the Turner-Gilliland Family Fund of Menlo Park, Calif., and reflects Mary Gillilands interest in textiles.

The DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum unveils Conservation: Where Art and Science Meet that presents how museum objects are conserved before they are exhibited. Visitors will discover the variety of techniques used by conservators to investigate each object and ensure its preservation for the future. This exhibition was made possible in part by Friends of Heritage Preservation and the Stone Family Fund.

The Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg are located at 326 W. Francis St. in Williamsburg, Va., and will be open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Enter through the Public Hospital of 1773.

Tour the Rockefellers Home

Bassett Hall and its gardens are located at 522 E. Francis St. and will be open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, July 17.

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Art Museums Expansion Expected To Open On Time Despite Weather Delays

WILLIAMSBURG As the seasons have changed, so has the scenery on South Nassau Street. Construction crews line the sides closest to the Art Museums and a large steel skeleton of a building has finally started to take form.

This is what the expansion of the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum and the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum, poised to open to the public in April 2020, looks like.

The expansion of The Art Museums in Colonial Williamsburg is expected to be substantially finished enough to open to the public on time, according to Ronald Hurst, vice president of collections, conservation and museums for Colonial Williamsburg.

The only setbacks to construction have been weather-related, Hurst said, and construction is about 10 days behind schedule. However, he said they wont know exactly how far they are behind until the contractor gets rain totals from November and December.

Unfortunately, the contractor has to get his numbers from National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, which is closed because of the government shutdown so they cant get their numbers, Hurst said.

Other than that, Hurst said the expansion is on time and on budget, with substantial completion for the project to be in late summer or early fall of this year.

According to Hurst, the new space will have room for more dedicated exhibits for objects they havent been able to show as much, things such as maps, archeology and costumes.

Sign Up To Be The First To Know More About All Things Art Museums

With three museums in one, theres so much to see and do at Colonial Williamsburg, so this is one mailing list you’ll want to join. Stay informed about upcoming events, opening exhibitions, new programming, and be the first to get great special offers at the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum and The DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum as well as the living history museum.

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Digital Library For The Decorative Arts And Material Culture

Smithsonian American Art Museum, begun in 1829, is devoted to American art of all regions, cultures and traditions. The Renwick Gallery houses its collections of craft and decorative arts from the 19th century to date. Among resources compiled for researchers is a Pre-1877 Art Exhibition Catalogue Index and Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture in U.S. collections.

Smithsonian National Museum of American History provides exhibits related to material culture, such as American Enterprise .

The Art Museums Of Colonial Williamsburg

DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum

The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation’s vast collections comprise more than 70,000 examples of fine, decorative, mechanical and folk art. Included are exceptional examples of American and British ceramics, glass, furniture, textiles, costumes, tools, firearms, numismatics, metals, toys, prints, maps, paintings, drawings and architectural fragments from the 17th, 18th and early 19th centuries, as well as American folk art up to the present day. Many of these objects are shown in innovative changing exhibitions at the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg: the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum and the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum. Others are used to furnish more than 200 rooms in Williamsburg’s historic buildings, where they provide guests with a better understanding of life in early Virginia.

Explore and search our Online Collections to learn more about these objects. Visit the site often as new objects are added daily.

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