Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library

The Winterthur Museum will digitally catalog its collection of fine and decorative arts tools to inform scholars and visitors about cultural, social, technological, and economic conditions of life in the past. The collection includes about 10,800 objects used in making furniture, clocks, silver, glass, textiles, and ceramics, including the contents of two complete 18th century American craft workshops – the nation’s only surviving complete workshops and tool collections of this era. The museum will hire two temporary catalogers to create detailed electronic archive records for 8,000 tools, with staff completing remaining records. The museum will share this information with students in its graduate programs, visiting scholars and guests, and with worldwide audiences through its website. The museum will use the information to develop publications, interpretation, and exhibits to share more complete understanding of these artifacts within their historic contexts and craft practices.