Winterthur and your home - Design Notes - licensing programmes for furnishings manufacturers offered by Winterthur Museum - Brief Article

Magazine Antiques, Jan, 2002 by Allison Eckardt Lades

It seems only fitting that this, the last editorial page in this special issue devoted to the Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library in Winterthur, Delaware, should also be dedicated to this venerable institution. It seems particularly appropriate because this column attempts to put our readers directly in touch with objects of the past through authentic reproductions that recreate the effect of fragile originals. Then too, when museums engage in licensing programs, part of the proceeds from the sales of these objects revert to the institution, which in Winterthur's case are used to support its educational mission.

The Winterthur Museum has three types of licensing arrangements. In one type, manufacturers make exact reproductions. The second, adaptations, allows for changes in shape, size, form, color, or material. The third, interpretations, allows motifs found on museum objects to be used in any way All three are generally the purview of museum marketing departments with the direct involvement of curators who approve colors, proportion or scale, and overall quality.

Winterthur has a large licensing program, and while most are listed here, only a few are represented with illustrations. However, many of the manufacturers issue catalogues and/or have Web sites, which allow for armchair browsing. To contact the Winterthur Museum, telephone 800-448-3883.