In each issue, the bimonthly DAR magazine, American Spirit, highlights an object from the DAR Museum collection in its "National Treasures" feature. These objects always have a story to tell about American history.
National Treasures
by Alden O'Brien Though our collections are rich in artifacts from the East Coast and Anglo-American families, the DAR Museum strives to collect objects that reflect the wonderful variety of the...
By Alden O'Brien To seek relief from the oppressive heat and humidity during the summer months, gentlemen in England and the Colonies would swap out their heavier winter garb for breathable linens and...
By William Strollo After Nimrod Martin and Elizabeth Graddy Withers Martin married in 1831, the well-to-do couple commissioned the artist Patrick Henry Davenport (1803–1890) to paint their likenesses...
These two pieces of neoclassical-style furniture were designed and made in Maine, a province of Massachusetts until 1820. Design influences from northeastern Massachusetts blend with local aesthetics...
Volume 154, Number 1 A daguerreotype made between 1847 and 1853 of an anonymous young man is the work of Augustus Washington, who, for a short time, was the foremost photographer in Hartford, Conn...
John Fox, a soldier during the French and Indian War, made good use of his free time by carving maps and designs on powder horns for other soldiers. Known examples of his work date from 1759 to 1764...
Geography was an integral part of the early American grammar school curriculum. Books on the topic varied widely, and these examples from the DAR Museum collection show some of the favorites of 19th...
Vibrant textile collages called crazy quilts were popular at the end of the 19th century. Though their overall patchwork appearance was similar, each quilt was personalized by their maker’s choice of...
Throughout February 1832, George Washington’s 100th birthday was celebrated nationwide with parades—and sometimes participants marked the occasion with commemorative costumes. This silk apron, a...
Groundbreaking journalist and world traveler Elizabeth Jane Cochran, born in 1864 in western Pennsylvania, took the nom de plume Nellie Bly in the 1880s when she began reporting for the Pittsburgh...