Enfilade

Illustration of Williamsburg Buildings, Flora, and Fauna, ca. 1740, copper plate 10 × 13.5 inches, possibly commissioned by William Byrd II
(Colonial Williamsburg, gift of the Bodleian Library, No. 1938-196)

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From the press release (12 February 2026) for the exhibition:

Colonial Williamsburg: The First 100 Years

Weldon Gallery, Colonial Williamsburg, 28 February — 31 December 2026

Developed by Margaret Pritchard, Neal Hurst, and Katie McKinney

As the nation observes its semiquincentennial in 2026, The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation is also celebrating its own 100-year history —a story that reflects a century of change in America itself. A new exhibition at the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg, entitled Colonial Williamsburg: The First 100 Years, explores the origins, evolution, and impact of this unique organization that today operates the world’s largest U.S. history museum.

From its groundbreaking preservation efforts to its evolving interpretations of America’s rich shared history and founding ideals, Colonial Williamsburg has often mirrored—and sometimes led—national conversations. One constant has driven the Foundation throughout its history: Everything it produces is grounded in ongoing research. Colonial Williamsburg: The First 100 Years explores the Foundation’s journey through that same lens using primary documents, objects and archival imagery to bring Colonial Williamsburg’s own history to life.

Dovecote, ca. 1770, made in England, Staffordshire or Yorkshire, lead-glazed earthenware (cream-colored earthenware / creamware), 8.5 inches high (Colonial Williamsburg, museum purchase, No. 1936-628).

The exhibition opens in the Art Museums’ 2500-square-foot Weldon Gallery on 28 February 2026, and will showcase more than 200 objects including decorative art, folk art, and archival material. Highlighting 100 years of history in one exhibition took Neal Hurst, curator of textiles and historic dress, and Katie McKinney, the Margaret Beck Pritchard Curator of Maps, several years. They took over the project, which former Deputy Chief Curator Margaret Pritchard began in 2021, continuing work on the exhibition after Pritchard’s retirement in 2024.

“It has been a joy to research, seek out objects, rediscover Colonial Williamsburg’s history, and talk to people who have worked for the Foundation, all of which culminates in this exhibition. Like any exhibit, space is always limited, but visitors will walk away with an understanding of The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation’s impact on public history, as well as its influence on preservation, collecting and education around the world,” Hurst said.

Added McKinney, “After 100 years, Colonial Williamsburg has become historic in its own right. Our colleagues across the Foundation, past and present, made this exhibition a reality. They shared their stories, expertise and lent objects. We were fascinated by how we continue to build upon the foundations laid out by the work of our predecessors. Time and again we were reminded of our motto: ‘That the future may learn from the past.’ Ultimately, the exhibition is about the people who have nurtured and built upon the Rev. Dr. W.A.R. Goodwin’s dream for the past century.”

Designed to be experienced chronologically, the exhibition begins with a look at communities and institutions who called Williamsburg home after Virginia’s capital was moved to Richmond in 1780. It offers a look at what inspired the Rev. Dr. W.A.R. Goodwin to envision Williamsburg’s restoration to its 18th-century appearance and John D. Rockefeller Jr.’s decision to support the project. Beginning with Rockefeller’s initial purchase of the Ludwell-Paradise house in 1926, the exhibition traces Colonial Williamsburg’s evolution from a patriotic preservation project to its current iteration as a premier educational organization that operates the world’s largest U.S. history museum. The exhibition explores Colonial Williamsburg’s research in interpretation, trades, preservation techniques and other aspects of the Foundation’s work over the decades. Each section includes maps, prints, and photographs from Colonial Williamsburg’s extensive archival collection, including aerial images of Williamsburg during the early years of the restoration and pictures of the men and women who restored and reconstructed the colonial capital city.

Document Box, ca. 1843, basswood (Tilia, Spp. by micro id), calfskin, leather, brass, iron, paper, textile, and paint, 6 × 7 × 12 inches (Colonial Williamsburg, gift of Catherine H. Latane, No, 2011-26). Owned by a formerly enslaved woman in Williamsburg at the end of the 19th century who lived with the Edwin and Isabel Beale family on Duke of Gloucester Street (on the site of the Orlando Jones House), where the family operated a hardware store.

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Curators sourced objects from archaeological, architectural, and museum collections, as well as ordinary objects from across the Foundation. Among those featured is the Bodleian Plate, known as ‘the cornerstone of the restoration’, which was discovered in England in the 1920s and helped guide the reconstruction of the Capitol and Governor’s Palace; Dr. Goodwin’s cane; George III’s coat of arms, which was once displayed in the Governor’s Palace; a document box that once held the treasured possessions of a formerly enslaved resident of Williamsburg; and a window sash removed during the preservation of the Williamsburg Bray School.

Other notable items on display:
• Ceramic objects from the collection that were buried in sand inside barrels for their safekeeping during WWII
• A mid-20th-century brick mold used to manufacture bricks in support of the restoration
• A paint chip board displaying Colonial Williamsburg’s signature colors that was originally installed in the Foundation’s paint shop in 1950
• An exhibit that explores the evolution of the interiors of the Governor’s Palace supper room, including samples of Chinese-painted wallpaper and ornate furnishings that had a major influence on American interior design
• A view of the Ludwell-Paradise House, where in 1935 an exhibition of American folk art loaned by Abby Aldrich Rockefeller went on view, including Washington and Lafayette at the Battle of Yorktown
• A vignette from the Anderson House Archaeological Exhibit (1975–83), which was designed to demystify the relatively new field of historical archaeology championed by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation

The exhibition also includes several captioned videos and a touchscreen that allows guests to access short segments of several films produced by the Foundation to showcase its work in the digital space. Visitors familiar with Colonial Williamsburg’s history will recognize props from the film Story of a Patriot; Felicity Merriman, the American Girl doll whose story is set in 18th-century Williamsburg; and several of the Foundation’s numerous Emmy Awards won for its educational video productions.

“The Foundation has led the field of public history for a century, and Colonial Williamsburg: The First 100 Years traces that journey. As we celebrate America’s 250th anniversary and Colonial Williamsburg’s 100th, we welcome the nation—and the world—to join us throughout 2026 in honoring the past, engaging the present, and inspiring the future,” said Ron Hurst, chief mission officer for the Foundation and chief curator for the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg.

From the press release (2 February 2026) for the exhibition . . .

Seeking Profit and Power: Philadelphia, China Trade, and the Making of America

Independence Seaport Museum, Philadelphia, 20 March — 3 January 2028

Curated by Susan Gail Johnson and Brett Palfreyman

Eager to prove itself worthy of trading on the world stage as a newly formed nation 250 years ago, America—and especially Philadelphians—embarked on the risky venture of trading with China by entrusting private citizens with the work of establishing trade and diplomatic relationships with the Chinese. Merchants saw dramatic opportunities to make money, building some of the fortunes that helped expand Philadelphia’s role as a major port and city. To celebrate the country’s 250th anniversary, Independence Seaport Museum presents Seeking Profit and Power: Philadelphia, China Trade, and the Making of America, a new exhibition informed by the latest scholarship and featuring approximately 150 unique, rarely seen objects from its collection ranging from ship logs and cargo manifests to examples of rare Chinese export porcelain, Chinese silks and sample books, to portraits of American and Chinese merchants, some of which will be exhibited for the first time. Additionally, museums and private collections, including George Washington’s Mount Vernon, The Society of The Cincinnati, The Dietrich American Foundation, and Andalusia Historic House and Gardens have also loaned important objects for Seeking Profit and Power. While other institutions can tell different aspects of this story, ISM is uniquely positioned to share it through its mission and location on the Delaware River, where Philadelphia’s China trade vessels launched and their cargo was unloaded.

Bowl Depicting a Ship with American Flag, ca. 1790s, porcelain manufactured for the export market in Jingdezhen, decorated in Canton (Philadelphia: Independence Seaport Museum, acquired through exchange, courtesy of Friends of the Museum, 2023.038).

“This exhibition tells the story of a critical moment in the history of our nation,” said Peter Seibert, president and CEO of Independence Seaport Museum. “When the United States declared its independence from Great Britain, we also separated ourselves from the rules and regulations that governed overseas trade. As we came together as a nation 250 years ago, we also stepped out on the world’s stage for the first time. The ISM team, consisting not only of our curatorial, exhibition and education staff and an exceptional panel of outside scholars, have brought together an amazing assemblage of objects that tell the story of our look to the East as a new global trading power.”

Organized by guest curators Susan Gail Johnson and Brett Palfreyman, Seeking Profit and Power will explore five essential themes. “Making a Nation” focuses on why the United States opened direct trade with China. “Making it Work” illustrates the tremendous technical and logistical feat traveling the route from Philadelphia to China. “Making Money” shows the array of commodities the new nation could trade for sought-after Chinese tea, porcelain, and other goods. “Encountering Each Other” explains how the two cultures learned about one another through the goods that they traded. The final section, “The Old China Trade,” explores the end of the era and the place it still holds in American memory.

“Our goal for the exhibition is to show visitors that a teacup is more than just a teacup—it is an object that tells a story about sailing halfway around the world, America’s taste for luxury goods, and how the nation’s founders imagined that trade with China might help establish the newly independent nation as a player on the world stage,” said Susan Gail Johnson. “We hope visitors will never look at a teacup the same way again.”

The full press release with details about specific objects is available here»

From the press release for the exhibition:

The First Salute: An Untold Story of the American Revolution

Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History, Philadelphia, 23 April 2026 — April 2027

Curated by Josh Perelman, with Jonathan Sarna, Pamela Nadell, and Laura Leibman

“Had it not been for… this infamous island, the American rebellion could not possibly have subsisted.”*

This landmark exhibition marking America’s 250th will take you on an adventure through America’s fight for freedom as you’ve never seen it before—where Jewish faith, courage, and persecution collided on the high seas to change the course of history. The First Salute: An Untold Story of the American Revolution is the first-ever major museum exhibition to explore the little-known story of a small group of Jewish merchants in the Caribbean whose outsized contributions to the cause of American Liberty tipped the scales in the fight for American Independence.

Exhibition curator Josh Perelman (left) with Heritage Inspector Raimie Richardson (right) on St. Eustatius (known locally as ‘Statia’) (Photo by Avida Linvy, November 2025).

The First Salute is the high-stakes, true story sparked by two key moments on the high seas that tipped the scales of the American Revolution and its founding principles. Set against the backdrop of the tiny Caribbean island of St. Eustatius, this riveting tale explores how religious liberty, Jewish trade merchants, and the cruelty toward the Jewish community by a debt-ridden British admiral converged at a pivotal time in world history, and impacted the trajectory of the Revolutionary War.

From Jewish expulsion from Spain and Portugal in the 15th century, to secret shipments of gunpowder disguised as tea by a network of Jewish merchants in the Caribbean in the 18th century, this tale of resilience, ingenuity, survival, and the promise of freedom still resonates today. This semiquincentennial exhibition features original films, rarely seen artifacts, storytelling, and an immersive video experience that situates visitors within three of the four original walls of St. Eustatius’s synagogue and Jewish cemetery that still stand today. The exhibition expands the understanding of the American Revolution by including the greater Atlantic World and illustrating the connections between North American and Caribbean Jewish communities, offering new insights into people and events that helped secure America’s independence.

“The First Salute reminds us that America’s strength lies in its enduring commitment to religious liberty,” said Dan Tadmor, President and CEO of The Weitzman. “Two hundred and fifty years after America’s founding, this exhibition connects historical events to present-day challenges. We hope that visitors walk away considering the roles of faith, community, and discrimination — in both historical and contemporary contexts.”

The First Salute is made possible with financial assistance provided by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Honorable Josh Shapiro, Governor; support from Lilly Endowment Inc. through its Religion and Cultural Institutions Initiative which propelled this exhibition’s development; and The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage. Additional funding has been provided by the Maimonides Fund, Mayor Cherelle L. Parker & the City of Philadelphia, America250PA, Betsy and Philip M. Darivoff, and other generous individuals.

The full press release is available here»

*Header quote: Admiral Sir George Rodney in a letter to Rear Admiral Sir Peter Parker in 1781 that “had it not been for that nest of vipers… this infamous island, the American rebellion could not possibly have subsisted.”