MARCH 2, 2011 – JUNE 24, 2011
When Dover merchant, Vincent Loockerman, died in 1785 he was probably Dover’s single largest land owner and unrivaled collector of Delaware and Philadelphia-made furniture of the 18th century. For the last 200 years, Vincent’s descendants have lived with the riches of the past while adding treasures from their own times.
The museum’s founder, Sewell C. Biggs, was an avid collector and admirer of the objects accumulated by Vincent Loockerman. In tribute, the Jewels of the Generations exhibition features Loockerman’s material legacy while discussing over 200 years of art collecting by his descendants, the Bradfords.
The jewels that have left the house, and are being borrowed back for this important exhibition, include a wealth of early American clothing, fashionable Victorian jewelry, European and Asian ceramics, American and European silver, important American and European portraits, and Delaware and Philadelphia furniture.This program is partially funded by a grant from the Delaware Humanities Forum, a state program of the National Endowment for the Humanities.