The new Winterthur exhibition is described as the behind-the-scenes story of the White House restoration in 1961-1962.
The Winterthur Museum will be sprinkled with a little Camelot fairy dust throughout the rest of the year.
Starting Saturday, the estate will open its new exhibition, “Jacqueline Kennedy and Henry Francis du Pont: From Winterthur to the White House,” which is described as the behind-the-scenes story of the White House restoration in 1961-1962.
Work began writing H.F. du Pont Jackie Kennedy, an early champion of American decor, in early 1961 and asked to lead the commission that would renovate the home of the President of the United States.
It ended with her famous television tour of the White House 60 years ago, in February 1962.
The show opens with a recreation of that TV moment, with two CBS cameras targeting a model wearing the red dress the First Lady wore during the February 14 TV show.
Unlike the largely black and white color scheme highlighted by the massive use of archival photos and lettering, this dress commands attention.
It is on loan from the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston, Massachusetts.
On Monday, Governor John Carney and members of the press toured the then-still-under-construction gallery from Winterthur’s former conservation student whose thesis sparked the idea for the gallery.
Eileen Rice Bachmann, whose dissertation in Winterthur served as the basis for the Jackie Show and HF, directed by Governor John Carney.
Eileen Rice Bachmann, who received a master’s degree in the Early American Culture program at the University of Winterthur in Delaware in 1993, said she was interested in DuPont’s relationship with the White House because her mother talked about her so often.
Bachmann, now a Maryland archivist, is also co-author of Designing Camelot: The Kennedy White House Restoration with James Archer Abbott.
Alexandra Deutsch, director of the John L. and Marjorie P. Collections, said the Jackie and HF Gallery is also the largest.
By the time the Kennedys moved into the White House, it was already shabby. Jackie herself described the interior as a mixture of “a dentist’s office and a bomb shelter”.
The first lady wanted to return the White House to make it a public gem that reflected the history of the building and the country, as well as a family home, and she didn’t have the budget to operate.
By asking du Pont—then 80—to head the fine arts commission, she was able to gain access to his contacts in the world of antiques and auction houses, as well as potential renovation donors.
The exhibition includes the telegram sent by the First Lady to Du Pont to thank him for agreeing to chair the commission. It is one of many correspondences in the exhibition from the Winterthur archive.
“I think it was interesting to see that the way people communicated was through the written message,” Backman told Carney.
“Not a text message,” Carney joked.
“Not a text message,” she replied.
Jackie Kennedy visited Winterhorse in May 19671, and this photo shows her on the staircase of Montmorency there.
One of Jackie’s messages came after DuPont visited the White House, made a list of what was there and what he thought was necessary, and even put price tags on the potential cost.
Some of the top designers of the time—Sister Parrish, Benny Melton, and French designer Jean-Stephane Boudin—were among the panelists as well.
Du Pont and Bowden occasionally clashed. du Pont preferred to use American antiques to decorate the White House, while Boudin–often Francophile Jackie–famously used French and English antiques during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Backman said DuPont would go to the White House and rearrange the rooms as he wished. The writer suspects that the staff went after him and returned the arrangements to the places Jackie preferred.
The First Lady came to Winterthur on May 18, 1961, and the exhibit includes her signature in the guest book and a greatly enlarged photo of her on the staircase of Montmorency.
The house was a public museum for 10 years, with HF and Ruth du Pont downgrading from the 172-room mansion to the 30-room cottage across the corridor.
After the visit, I texted him: “I now have an ambition for our old age – to be gatekeepers in Winterthur.”
The exhibit includes clips from a television interview with Jackie, including a little about the square card tables that Louise Kronenshield, sister of Henry Francis du Pont, brought to the White House. She has also embraced history preservation and was one of the founders of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Bachmann said Winterthur tried to borrow tables from the White House, but now they are sitting “very importantly” in the Oval Office near President Joe Biden’s desk.
Winterthur’s gallery on decorating the White House will include examples of room decor in red, green, and blue.
His appointment to the White House committee raises DuPont’s standing. The public was invited to contact him if they owned any pieces they believed belonged to the White House, and one of the gallery’s walls shows thirty of the many letters he received.
From Winterthur to the White House includes a look at how the renovation changed the three public rooms of the White House: the Red Room, the Blue Room, and the Green Room.
It was still a work in progress, but the exhibits include examples of the materials Jackie chose and examples of the furniture she used.
The First Lady felt that the contrasts of dark colors were oppressive and wanted to change them to better complement each other. She would opt for an emerald green, a lively wine and a soothing light blue.
Jackie’s renovation set a precedent in the White House. Bachmann said she created a White House office of curators and was able to pass legislation making the National Park Service responsible for the interior of the White House.
Each new First Lady usually appoints her own Fine Arts Committee to oversee White House decor or changes usually paid for by donations.
Du Pont was invited to several official dinners at the White House, including Kennedy’s first gala at Mount Vernon. He was always seated at the first lady’s table.
From Winterthur to the White House includes a picture of him in Mount Vernon, as well as several of his place cards, which he often asks other guests at the table to sign.
The exhibition will include a guided tour of the house, Walking in the Footsteps of Jackie, which follows the path taken by Jacqueline Kennedy on her journey to Winterthur. Reservation required. Please call 800.448.3883 or email [email protected] to get information. (All visitors must wear a mask on the guided tour of the house).
The pop-up shop at the end of the gallery displays items inspired by the White House restoration project and Jackie’s iconic sense of style, including oversized sunglasses. More will be offered for sale in the Museum Store in the cottage.
The Visitor Center Café will also feature items influenced by Jackie’s favorites.
For more information, go to Winterthur.org.
