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
Cromwell Child, a shipbuilder and sea captain from Warren, R.I., had this high chest made as a wedding present for his daughter Elizabeth in 1776 upon her marriage to Peter Turner, a surgeon serving...
Though they are only for show, the gilt pipes on the front of this late 18th-century barrel organ suggest its purpose. Like a music box, music is played when a winding key triggers metal fingers that...
This unusual fixture, part of the DAR Museum’s collection, depicts Christopher Columbus’ exploration of the New World. The ships on the shade morph into sea dragons that support large spheres of...
This distinctive chest with drawer, circa 1710–1715, leaves little doubt as to the identity of the original owner. Mary Burt, born in Springfield, Mass., was around 15 years old when she received this...
In 2004 the Food and Drug Administration approved the use of leeches for medical treatment, so jars like this one from the DAR Museum’s collection could start becoming more commonplace. For thousands...
An early 19th-century American musical instrument, the grand harmonicon, or musical glasses, was patented in the United States by Francis H. Smith in 1825. The origin of the DAR Museum’s grand...
Curious dog-shaped bottles, called schnappshunde, were favorites of 17th- and 18th-century German glassblowers. The DAR Museum’s schnappshunde, dated sometime after 1750, was most likely forged in the...