Press Release: Tudor Place Featured Among Historic Houses for Washington Winter Show’s 70th Anniversary

Press Release 

January 7, 2025

 

WASHINGTON, DC – To mark the Washington Winter Show’s seventieth anniversary, the 2025 loan exhibition draws from the collections of seven of the most important historic houses in the nation. Preservation Pioneers will focus on the history of the individual houses and how the institutions that have saved and preserved them have had a lasting impact on the fields of collecting and historic preservation. These houses represent a sweep of more than two centuries of American history. They include: Anderson House; Gunston Hall; Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens; George Washington’s Mount Vernon; Stratford Hall; Tudor Place Historic House & Garden and Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library. Each house has a unique preservation story—beginning with the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association’s pioneering work in the 1850s—but collectively these historic institutions offer insights and inspiration to private collectors, curators, designers and preservationists who seek to preserve the future of our past.

A selection of items from the Tudor Place Collection & Archive illustrates the methods the Peter family used to document their family heirlooms throughout two centuries of residence. Each object comes with a note written by one of the members of the family identifying the object’s significance. Tudor Place was previously featured in the 2010 Washington Winter Show exhibition, Tudor Place: Six Generations of Style.

One of the items included in the exhibition is a Sèvres teacup and saucer from a service originally owned by George Washington, whose step-granddaughter, Martha Peter, was the first owner of Tudor Place. Tudor Place was the home of six descendants of Martha Washington and has the largest collection of Washington objects outside of George Washington’s Mount Vernon. The teacup and saucer have a handwritten paper label written by Armistead Peter Jr., Martha’s grandson and the third owner of Tudor Place, demonstrating Martha’s descendants’ dedication to preserving their family’s legacy. Tudor Place became a National Historic Landmark in 1960 due to the efforts of its final owner, Armistead Peter 3rd, and opened to the public in October 1988.

These items will be on display at the Washington Winter Show, beginning with preview night on Thursday, January 9 and continuing through January 12 at the Katzen Arts Center at American University, 4400 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington DC 20016. Purchase tickets here: https://www.washingtonwintershow.org/purchase-tickets

ABOUT TUDOR PLACE HISTORIC HOUSE & GARDEN: Tudor Place preserves the stories of six generations of descendants of Martha Washington, and the enslaved and free people who lived and labored here. By examining their legacy, we challenge ourselves and our visitors to celebrate the triumphs and to confront the complexities of the past. Open Tuesday – Sunday for guided tours of the historic house and self-guided garden visits. For more information, please visit www.tudorplace.org and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube or LinkedIn.

ABOUT WASHINGTON WINTER SHOW: The Washington Winter Show, The Washington Antiques Show, was founded in 1954-55, is the second oldest charitable antiques show in the United States. Steeped in history and hosted within the modern walls of American University’s Katzen Arts Center in Washington, DC, the Winter Show features more dealers from across the United States and Europe, offering a broad range of exquisite antiques and fine arts. The Show raises funds for local charities benefitting at-risk children and families through services provided by Bishop John T. Walker School for Boys, Building Bridges Across the River and St. John’s Community Services. For more information please visit: https://www.washingtonwintershow.org/.

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Contact

Janet Wall

Director of Development & Communications

press@tudorplace.org | 202-580-7323