Over 60 distinguished dealers will gather and showcase exceptional examples of American antiques, fine art, folk art and other decorative arts at the annual Delaware Antiques Show. Presented by the Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library, the show will take place at the Chase Center on the Riverfront in Wilmington from November 6 through 8.
Now in its 63th year, the show has established itself as one of the nation’s premier American antique shows. Art connoisseurs, new collectors, and history lovers convene at the show each year to buy art, enjoy educational programming and further train their eye.
George Heap (1714–1752) and Nicholas Scull (1687–1761), An East Perspective View of the City of Philadelphia, in the Province of Pennsylvania; Taken from the Jersey Shore, London, 1778, printed by Carrington Bowles, engraving with original hand color, 11 ¼ x 17 ¼ in. Courtesy Arader Galleries.
“The Delaware Antiques Show holds a singular place in the field after more than six decades as the benchmark show for American antiques,” says Chris Strand, director and CEO of the Winterthur. “From the history of the American interior to the future of collecting, this year’s program brings curators, designers, photographers and scholars into conversation with the objects on the show floor.”
Among the many artworks and treasures available this year are examples of early American art including an engraving by George Heap and Nicholas Scull. The piece titled An East Perspective View of the City of Philadelphia, in the Province of Pennsylvania; Taken from the Jersey Shore, is an 18th-century panoramic engraving originally created to advertise the bustling port and economic prosperity that could be found in the city. Other pieces of history on view include Charle Peale Polk’s painting William Hughes and her Child Anna and Frank E. Schoonover’s Young George Washington on His Pony, each offering insight into the artistic legacy of the United States.
Charles Peale Polk (1767–1822), Mrs. William Hughes and her Child Anna, oil on canvas, 30¾ x
23½ in. Courtesy Schwarz Gallery, Philadelphia, PA.
Jessie Arms Botke (1883–1971), Leaf Pattern, oil on masonites, 30 x 25 in. Courtesy Lincoln Glenn Gallery, New York, NY.
An appreciation for history is at the heart of the event. The 2026 edition of the show arrives at a resonant moment for Winterthur, which is celebrating the 75th anniversary of the museum’s opening alongside the nation’s 250th anniversary. These milestones are a throughline of the show, most notably in a series of lectures examining Revolutionary-era material culture.
The special programming includes a talk by Emily Sneff, managing editor of Americana Insights, who will trace the Declaration of Independence’s afterlife in folk art, engravings and commemorative objects. Winterthur associate curator Kedra Kearis will preview the museum’s 2027 major exhibition on the Peales, America’s first family of artists.
The Annual Delaware Antiques Show. Courtesy Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library
This year’s show comes at a time of resurgence of interest in Americana and material culture-driven design. Collectors and decorators are increasingly folding early American furniture, folk art and history textiles into layered, collected-over-time interiors that prizes provenance, hand craftsmanship and objects with a documented story.
Among the dozens of dealers in attendance are David A. Schorsch–Eileen M. Smiles American Antiques, Jeff R. Bridgman Antiques, Nathan Liverant and Son, Elliott and Grace Snyder, and others. Each exhibitor is vetted for their expertise as scholarship and connoisseurship increasingly matter as much to buyers as aesthetics.
Dealers will showcase works spanning three centuries of American fine and decorative arts, from period furniture and folk portraiture to historic silver and garden antiques, offering both seasoned collectors and first-time buyers direct access to the people who research, source and authenticate the objects themselves.
For tickets and a full schedule of events visit winterthur.org/annual-delaware-antiques-show. —
Powered by Froala Editor
