Program Overview

Introduction to the Winterthur Program in American Material Culture

The University of Delaware and the Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library established the Winterthur Program in American Material Culture in 1952. This program is designed to promote the study of American material culture and the decorative arts at the graduate level. It continues to lead museum and academic scholarship, with graduates holding key positions in academic institutions, government, libraries, museums, and preservation organizations.

Program Overview

Material culture scholars study the history and philosophy of people and their things. The Winterthur Program's special niche is its emphasis on the interdisciplinary study of ideas, objects, and contexts using the extraordinary collections of the Winterthur Museum, and field-based study of landscapes, buildings, decorative arts, and design. This program offers a unique range of hands-on study of objects at both Master's and Doctoral levels.

Program Structure

• The program includes various areas of study, such as:
  • Connoisseurship
  • Material Life in America
  • Thesis Research
  • Other Winterthur Courses, including:
    • Cities on a Hill: Material Culture in America's Communal Utopias
    • Summer Institute
• Field-Based Learning opportunities, including:
  • British Design History
  • Craftsmanship, with specific studies in Williamsburg
  • Northern Field Study
  • Southern Field Study
• Further Exploring and Museum Musings are also part of the program.

Research Areas

The Winterthur Program focuses on the study of objects and what they reveal about individuals and societies. This includes the history and philosophy of material culture, with an emphasis on American material culture and the decorative arts.

Categories of Study

• Alumni research and contributions
• English Design History, with specific years of study
• Field-Based Learning, including British Design History, Craftsmanship, and Northern and Southern Field Studies
• Material Matters, a hub for new and innovative material culture research
• Montgomery Competition
• Museum Musings
• Opportunities for further study and research
• Student Projects, including Connoisseurship, Material Life in America, and Thesis Research.