FRIENDS OF Spring 2004 Board of Trustees Friends of Florham Winterthur and Florham — A History Together Carol Bere Many of us are perhaps familiar with the name the property including cattle, poultry, sheep, pigs Linda Carrington Winterthur as the Museum of American Decor- and greenhouses. Florham served as the spring Phyllis Conway ative Arts. Winterthur has a long history with the and fall residence of Florence and Hamilton Emma Joy Dana du Pont family as well as social ties to the Twombly. It was where Hamilton Twombly Shannie Doremus Twombly family and Florham. raised a world-famous Dawn Dupak herd of Guernsey dairy Elaine Earlywine The Twombly and du Pont fam- cattle. Gary Jaworski ilies were friendly. Florence Barbara Keefauver Twombly visited Winterthur Linda Meister on four separate occasions and Style and Changes Henry F. and his wife, the for - Suzy Moran Florham was designed mer Ruth Wales, are shown in Audrey Parker in a Georgian Revival the gardens at Florham during Walter Savage style by renowned archi- one of their visits (see photo). Richard Simon tects McKim, Mead The 1920s brought a more and White. It has not Honorary Trustees casual feel and appearance to changed over the years. Winterthur. It is interesting to Susan Adams Winterthur has under - note that while Ruth du Pont Kim Dougherty gone many changes of thought that Florham was love- style in both the house ly she found it “too studied.” Advisory Trustees and the gardens. As John H. Fritz Located in the beautiful tastes and fashions Frances Mantone Brandywine Valley in Dela- changed, so did Win - Stacy Rooke ware, Winterthur was estab - terthur. The present lished in 1837 by Jacques look of the main house University Liaisons Antoine Bidemann, who origi - at Winterthur is an over - J. Michael Adams Henry F. and Ruth Wales du Pont are shown in nally arrived in Delaware in the gardens at Florham during one of their visits. scaled Georgian Revival Ted Ambrosiano 1813. He came from Europe style of architecture Gretchen Johnson to assess his family’s invest - Photo: Courtesy, The Winterthur Library: Winterthur Archives based on American Susan McConville ments in a gunpowder factory examples from ap- Marilyn Rye originally known as E.I. du Pont de Nemours & proximately 1929. Florham was inspired by the Co. Bidermann remained in Delaware, became a Christopher Wren wing at Hampton Court in partner in the company and, in 1816, married England and is one of our finest examples of Evelina Gabrielle du Pont, second daughter of America’s Gilded Age homes. Winterthur em- founder Eluthere Irenee du Pont. The name bodies the ideal of a Jazz Age American country “Winterthur” was given to the property in honor house, and changes continued to be made through- of Bidermann’s ancestral hometown in Switzer - out the 20th century. land. Florham was at its height during the Gilded Age While there are similarities between Florham and and entertaining was an important part of life at Winterthur, it is interesting to note some of the the estate. A staff of 125 was employed by the differences between the two estates. The first Twomblys. Guests were greeted by footmen, notable difference is time — Winterthur was coachmen and chauffers attired in maroon livery, established in 1837 and Florham in 1897. which was the signature color of the Vanderbilt family. A domestic staff was in place to ensure Winterthur was originally a 2,400-acre working farm with approximately 20 individual farms on continued on page 5 President’s Letter Hooray! Spring is almost here! After a cold and The committee is working hard for our forthcom - snowy winter, hopefully we will be able to move ing Gala on May 22. Many of us look forward to forward with some of our pending projects. Al- this, our principal fund-raising event. though the campus looked very beautiful in the Finally, we’re thrilled that once again our good snow, we were unable to complete our three friend, Sam White, returned to talk to us about small stone walls designating the “Frederick Law the Venetian influence on the architecture of the Olmsted Cutleaf Maple Garden.” The walls are many buildings in New York City and through- across from the new residence hall, Rutherford out the country that were designed by his great Hall, and before the library entrance on the East grandfather, Stanford White, and his firm, Entrance road to the campus (from Danforth McKim, Mead and White. Sam is a fascinating Road). It is our particular aim to protect this speaker, as many of you have undoubtedly dis - remaining Olmsted area, as it is spectacularly covered. His wife, Elizabeth, who co-authored beautiful in the autumn. There is an explanatory the recently published book, McKim, Mead & plaque on the recently completed center wall. White: The Masterworks, accompanied him, and Another of our projects is to replace the white- they happily signed copies of this beautiful book and-red bars at the crossroads blocking the which were available. So we’re glad that many entrance to the Mansion Drive. We’re looking of you were able to join us on Sunday afternoon, for something more appropriate for the Olmsted March 21, and could be with us to enjoy his talk and our reception afterward. grounds and the McKim, Mead and White build - ings. We also have other projects in the planning Won’t you become a member of the Friends of stage, which we will report on at a later date. Florham at this time and participate with us in our restoration and preservation projects? Just fill The upstairs hall in the Mansion was repainted out the form on the last page of this newsletter in a lighter and brighter color, and there is com - and send it in. We’ll welcome your joining us in fortable seating and lighting, making it a more these very gratifying accomplishments. inviting place for the students to study or wait between classes. Emma Joy Dana Washington Portrait Restored This past year, a handsome, came quite sympathetic to the cause of the Ameri - large portrait of Gen. George can Revolution and came from England to live in Washington was restored by America in 1784. He took up residence in Phila- the Friends of Florham. It was delphia, where he opened an art museum (the first the property of Fairleigh Dick - in the new nation). During his four years there (he inson University for many died in 1788), he painted 90 works of art. years, but due to its poor con - dition was kept in storage. Pine visited Washington at Mt. Vernon in April Now, after restoration, it is and May of 1785. He had obtained various letters hanging in the Great Hall of of introduction to Washington — in England, the Mansion. from George William Fairfax, a close friend and former neighbor of the Washingtons in Virginia, The oil painting (approximate - and from various noted Philadelphians such as ly 50 inches by 40 inches) has Morris, Dickenson, Hopkinson, etc. He painted an old hand-written paper label the general, as well as portraits of the four Custis on the rear of the antique gold children, during his 22 days at Mt. Vernon. Wash - frame stating: ington sat again for Pine the next year, 1786, in “From a drawing . from sit - Philadelphia. There were four portraits of Wash - Gen. George Washing - ting . by the painter Robert Edge Pine . ed ington listed in the inventory of Pine’s estate. ton’s portrait hangs in to Laurence Newell-by Daniel Bowen, Boston.” the Great Hall, the Based on the old label referencing Pine, we de- Mansion. Robert Edge Pine, (c. 1720–1788), an English cided to research the provenance of the painting. artist who painted portraits and historical scenes, We sent a digital photograph to the National was, in his time, favorably compared with the Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., which had outstanding artist Sir Joshua Reynolds. Pine be- published an extensive study of Robert Edge 2 continued on page 4 McKim, Mead & White Revisited Lest we take our architectural heritage for grant - such as the World’s Col- ed, McKim, Mead & White: The Masterworks, umbian Exposition in written by Samuel G. White, architect and great- Chicago, several commis - grandson of Stanford White, and Elizabeth White, sions for work at Colum - writer and editor, reminds us of the importance bia University and the and enduring influence of the firm’s public build - Boston Symphony Hall ings on our urban landscape. From about l879 to and concluding with the 1914, McKim, Mead & White, the leading archi - American Academy in tectural firm in the United States at the time, Rome (1911–14), “the completed approximately 1,000 commissions firm’s most enduring including representative major works such as legacy.” the Boston Public Library, the Pierpont Morgan The firm’s early work Library, Madison Square Garden, the Rhode reflected influences of Island State House, expansion of the Metropoli - the Arts and Crafts and tan Museum of Art, stately residences such as Beaux-Arts movements, Florham, and, in the early stages, large, wood while the mature work shingle-style houses. represented a shift toward McKim, Mead & White capitalized on major more classical architec - shifts in the economy in the latter part of the 19th ture or classical prece - century — the growth of industry, the creation of dents, particularly ancient substantial wealth in industry and the financial Rome and the Italian Re- sectors and a related rise in social and cultural naissance. Critics general - ambitions. The Masterworks focuses on the non - ly agree that the achievements of McKim, Mead residential works of the firm and is an effective & White were the direct result of the fruitful col - complement to Samuel White’s earlier book, The laboration of Charles Follen McKim, William Houses of McKim, Mead & White (l998).