Winterthur weighs into Super Bowl fun by matching items made in Philly, Beantown

Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library has leapt onto the Super Bowl bandwagon with a series of social media posts that compare furniture, housewares and silver made in Philadelphia and Boston.

Centuries before the Philadelphia Eagles and Boston Patriots met in the Super Bowl, the two cities were rivals for Colonial power and commerce, and that included creating items for homes. Each city was known for its own style of handles, legs, arms and woodwork. 

Winterthur, a former du Pont estate that focuses on American decor, and is an hour from Philly’s Center City, decided the Super Bowl matchup is an excellent chance to add a little history and culture to a sporting event, said spokeswoman Hillary Holland.

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“It allows the museum to talk about the two geographic areas as they relate to objects in the collection, and show off a little city pride,” she said. 

The pieces include a silver tankard made by Paul Revere Jr., made about 1768 in Boston vs. a pitcher made by Thomas Charles in Philadelphia about 1815 featuring — wait for it — an eagle for a handle.

The idea came from social media manager Allison Dunckel, who enlisted the help of curators Stephanie Delamare, Leslie Grigsby, Joshua Lane and Ann Wagner.

The matchups so far have included:

 A mahogany desk-and-bookcase made by Thomas Sherburne of Boston about 1780-96 and a Philadelphia mahogany desk-and-bookcase made about 1770-90.

 A Boston rococo side chair made of mahogany, made about 1760-75, and a Philadelphia side chair, also made of mahogany, made about 1760-75.

 A Boston Japanned high chest, made about 1740-50 with a case made by John Pimm and a Philadelphia high chest, made about 1765-75.

 A tortoiseshell comb made in Boston about 1820-40, and a gilded copper hairpiece that was made in France but worn by women in a Philadelphia family between 1820-50.

 A mahogany dressing table made in Boston about 1745-65, and one made in Philadelphia about 1740-70.

 A Boston late baroque side chair, made about 1730-50, and a Philadelphia side chair, made about 1745-60.

 A Boston easy chair made about 1730-40, and one made in Philadelphia about 1760-75.

You can see them all on Winterthur’s Facebook page.

Contact Betsy Price at beprice@delawareonline.com or (302) 324-2884.