Exhibitions at the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg DeWitt ...

The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
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Williamsburg, VA 23187-1776
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Exhibitions at the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg
DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum
New Exhibitions
Richard Newsham’s Fire Engine -- Richard Newsham’s Fire Engine explores fire and fire
fighting in the 18th century with the display of an original fire engine built in the mid-18th
century, and on view for the first time. Initially granted a patent on December 26, 1721, Richard
Newsham’s “new water engine for quenching and extinguishing fires” became the clear choice
for anyone in England or America who was serious about combating the flames. So effective
were Newsham’s engines that some were used for more than a century. This exhibition is made
possible by the Ambrose and Ida Frederickson Foundation. Opens Feb. 18, 2012.
Tall Case Clocks -- This exhibition features more than 20 clocks from the Colonial
Williamsburg collection. The dual importance of a clock’s monetary value and family importance
have made them the ideal object to be passed down through generations as family heirlooms.
This exhibit will explore the clock mechanism and wooden casework, the history of the form, the
trade practices of the makers, ownership and cost, and showcase a group of Southern clocks.
Opens April 7, 2012.
Ongoing exhibitions
“More than Meets the Eye: Maps and Prints of Early America” – This exhibition
illustrates how maps and prints aided colonial expansionists by conveying attitudes and
values that swayed public opinion. Portraits depicted Native Americans as deferential subjects of
the king. Maps, regarded as scientific and authoritative documents, were designed to impart a
perception of power and control over the environment, claim land and establish boundaries.
This exhibition is made possible by the Nicholas and Eleanor Chabraja Foundation, Lake Forest,
Ill. Through August 2012.
“‘A True North Britain:’ The Furniture of John Shearer 1790-1820” – This
groundbreaking, traveling exhibition organized by the Daughters of the American Revolution
Museum in Washington, D.C., examines the furniture of John Shearer, a joiner who worked in
the backcountry of Virginia and Maryland from ca. 1790-1820. Through the use of inlay and
inscriptions, Shearer’s furniture demonstrated his loyalty to Great Britain. Shearer’s continued
allegiance to Great Britain and her Royal Navy after the American Revolution underscores the
evolving political landscape of the new United States. Through March 5, 2012.
“Fashion Accessories from Head to Toe” – This exhibition features costume accessories
from the late 17th through the early 19th century. Women and men enhanced their appearance
with the addition of hats, purses, jewelry, shoes and more. These objects kept pace with changes
in fashion and present a visually rich overview of the period. The exhibition is made possible by
Mary and Clinton Gilliland of Menlo Park, Calif., and the Turner-Gilliland Family Fund of the
Silicon Valley Community Foundation. Through December 2012.
“Dollars, Farthings & Fables: Money & Medals From the Colonial Williamsburg
Collection” – This exhibition explores many of the highlights and extremes of Colonial
Williamsburg’s comprehensive numismatics collection. The Cornell Hoard of pre-Revolutionary
North Carolina paper currency is featured alongside the first true American coins and a host of

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other types of money and medals with fascinating stories to tell. This exhibition includes many
objects donated by the Joseph R. Lasser Family of New York.
“Rebuilding Charlton’s Coffeehouse” - This exhibition explores the recent reconstruction
of R. Charlton’s Coffeehouse, the first ground-up reconstruction along Duke of Gloucester Street
in several decades which involved every department and trade in the Foundation. Visitors
discover how such a building could be so accurately constructed and furnished when seemingly
very little was left of the original structure. Through archaeological, architectural, archival,
decorative arts and trades components, guests discover the process of rebuilding the history,
structure and interiors of the coffeehouse. Visitors learn firsthand what it took to bring the
project to completion through video, graphics, original objects and touchable reproductions. The
reconstruction of R. Charlton’s Coffeehouse was made possible with a generous gift from Forrest
Mars.
“Conservation: Where Art and Science Meet” - This exhibition presents the way 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. Through August 2012.
“Introduction to the Museums” – This exhibition orients visitors to the DeWitt Wallace
Decorative Arts Museum, the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum and the many tours,
family programs and auditorium productions to be found in the Art Museums of Colonial
Williamsburg.
“Treasure Quests: Great Silver Collections from Colonial Williamsburg” - This
exhibition in the Mary Jewett Gaiser Gallery displays selections from the Foundation’s vast
collection of 18th-century British silver.
“Identifying Ceramics: The Who, What and Ware” - This exhibition takes a closer look
at the production and decoration of ceramic wares of the 18th century. Find out the difference
between stoneware, earthenware and porcelain and discover how ornament was created or
applied.
“Masterworks from the Colonial Williamsburg Collection” – The selected objects are
arranged in chronological order and have been chosen for their artistic merit, their historical
significance and their excellent state of preservation.
“Selections from the Henry H. Weldon Collection” – This exhibit features a few select
pieces from the collection of more than 725 pieces of 18th-century British pottery donated to
Colonial Williamsburg by Mr. and Mrs. Henry H. Weldon.
“Lock, Stock & Barrel: Early Firearms from the Colonial Williamsburg Collection”
– This exhibition showcases military and civilian firearms, including muzzle-loading, ignition
systems and the evolution of the standard British infantry musket pre-1800.
“Revolution in Taste” – The exhibition covers the variety of wares manufactured in the
period that offered colonists a wide range of goods associated with dining, drinking and
decoration.
The Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum
New exhibition
Quilts in the Baltimore Manner -- The quilts of Baltimore, Maryland, are noted for their
strong design, excellent craftsmanship, and brilliant colors. The designs of Baltimore influenced
the wider community of quilters, including areas beyond Baltimore, such as Northern Virginia.

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This exhibit features 12 quilts from Baltimore and surrounding areas, dating from the 1820s
through the 1860s. Opens May 2012.
Ongoing exhibitions
“The Old Plantation: The Artist Revealed” – This exhibition explores the clues that led to
finally identifying the artist who created this 18th-century watercolor. This important piece
depicting slave life has been in the collection for more than 70 years but little was known of its
creator or the subjects. Now the mystery is solved and the exhibition reveals the history of the
drawing and the identity of the artist.
“Art in Clay: Masterworks of North Carolina Earthenware” – This loaned exhibition
showcases one of the most important and aesthetically significant American pottery traditions.
It features dazzling slip-decorated wares and richly glazed sculptural bottles made between 1755
and 1850. The exhibition was sponsored by Old Salem Museums & Gardens, the Chipstone
Foundation and the Caxambas Foundation. Through July 29, 2012, in the Gladys & Franklin
Clark Foundation Gallery.
“Material Witnesses: Quilts and their Makers” – This exhibition features 12 quilts and
three woven coverlets. Each piece reveals the story of the person who made it, whether it was a
young woman or a professional weaver or a group of friends. All stand as evidence of the lives of
people from the past. This exhibition was made possible by Mary and Clinton Gilliland of Menlo
Park, Calif., through the Turner-Gilliland Family Fund. Through April 2012.
“Sidewalks to Rooftops: Outdoor Folk Art” – This exhibition presents signboards,
storefront figures, weather vanes, marine carvings, whirligigs, carousel animals and other
objects originally intended for use outdoors. This exhibition was made possible by a gift from
Barry M. Boone in loving memory of his wife, Linda. Through January 2013.
“An Introduction to American Folk Art” – Guests are introduced to the museum and to
the collector Abby Aldrich Rockefeller.
“Conserving the Carolina Room” – This exhibition highlights the current research and
conservation on a 19th-century painted room acquired by the museum in the 1950s. The
conservation of the Carolina Room has been partially underwritten by Rex and Pat Lucke of
Elkhorn, Neb., and the National Endowment for the Arts. The room is on display in the Rex and
Pat Lucke Gallery.
“Inspiration and Ingenuity: American Stoneware” – “American Stoneware” features
stoneware pieces from the 19th century through the present day. The exhibition explores the
tradition of decorating utilitarian stoneware and its evolution into an art form.
“Down on the Farm” – This family-friendly exhibition features animals in paintings,
sculpture and toys.
“Cross Rhythms: Folk Musical Instruments” – This exhibition features banjos, fiddles
and dulcimers from the 19th century and early 20th century. Highlights include a piano built
into a chest of drawers and a record-playing hippocerous.
For more information, visit us at our website at www.history.org.

Exhibitions at the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg – Page 4
Media contact:
Jim Bradley
(757) 220-7281
01/12