“American” refers to the continents of the Americas, rather than simply the United States. Winterthur’s library and object collections contain items from North, Central, and South America. People, ideas, and objects move, entangling them in habitats and global communities. As such, in classes where students are utilizing Winterthur’s collection, professors require that students examine the local and global implications of a given object, whether that be Chinese export porcelain, a mahogany tilt-top tea table, a Jamaican hair comb, or a Charleston slave tag. Winterthur Fellows do not have to travel far to encounter collections specializing in African American history, Jewish American history, Native American cultures, and more. In addition, professors at Winterthur and the University of Delaware have specialties in varying geographic regions.
