DAR Museum

Yesterday I went to the Daughters of the American Revolution Museum to see their current exhibit - Telling Their Stories: 19th Century Samplers and Silk Embroideries.  It's only there for a few more days so I'm really happy that I caught it before it closed. I've seen exhibits with a handful or a dozen samplers in them, but never one that was focused on samplers. There were about 80 samplers and embroideries displayed, a few sewing boxes and some sewing tools like needlecases, thimbles, pincushions and scissors. What a beautiful collection! The majority of these samplers were made by young girls. With each sampler was a little history about who she was and who she grew up to be. No photography allowed, but since they were all framed behind glass I'm not sure how well the pictures would have turned out anyway.

I took a short docent-led tour of the buildings that comprise the DAR complex which take up an entire city block. We also sampled several of the 31 period rooms. I was able to take pictures here. The rooms are named for the DAR state chapter that sponsors that room.  The first picture is of the New Jersey room. It depicts a 17th Century English Council Chamber. All the wood used in the paneling and furniture came from a British frigate that was sunk during the Revolutionary War and salvaged about 100 years later. The second picture is a bed on display in the Texas room which depicts a bed chamber in the late 1800s from a particular residence in Texas. I don't remember the residence or city. I love this feathered star quilt. Not quite the same as being there, but you can take virtual tours of all of the rooms.

Their next exhibit, which will open in October, will feature toys from the post-Civil War era to the 1920s. Toys! I think I'll be going back.