Current Exhibitions
Valley Culture: Constructing Identity Along the Great Wagon Road
Valley Culture: Constructing Identity Along the Great Wagon Road explores the evolution of Pennsylvania German folk art as settlers moved west. From the Perkiomen Valley of southeastern Pennsylvania to the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, locally distinctive forms of material culture emerged. This exhibition will help viewers understand how German settlers transformed artifacts of daily life —including fraktur, painted furniture, boxes, and other artifacts—as they settled along the Great Wagon Road.
Drawn from nearly a dozen private collections, the exhibit features exemplary works of American folk art, including the iconic “leaping stag” cupboard painted by Johannes Spitler of Shenandoah (now Page) County, Virginia; exuberantly painted boxes by John Drissell of Bucks County; and fraktur by Durs Rudy, Jacob Gottschall, and Andreas Kolb of Montgomery County. Other highlights include painted boxes from the Brothers Valley of Somerset County, a newly-discovered chest of drawers from the Mahantongo Valley, plus painted furniture and fraktur from the Tulpehocken Valley of Berks and Lebanon counties.
Valley Culture: Constructing Identity Along the Great Wagon Road opens September 28, 2024, and continues through August 2025.
Lead support for Valley Culture by Pook & Pook
Featured Objects
Hanging cupboard, made for Jacob Strickler, attributed to Johannes Spitler, Shenandoah (now Page) County, Virginia, c. 1800. Collection of Jane and Gerald Katcher
Slide-lid box, probably Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, c. 1780–1810. Collection of Jane and Gerald Katcher
Slide-lid box, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, c. 1800. Collection of Steve and Jenifer Smith
Current Exhibit - Henry Muhlenberg House
All Sorts of Chairs and Joiner’s Work: Pennsylvania Furniture from the Dietrich American Foundation
Located in the second-floor gallery of the Henry Muhlenberg House, this exhibit features a dozen chairs and six case pieces.
Highlights include:
- ● A rush-seat chair retaining the original label of renowned Philadelphia maker William Savery,
- ● And a rare child-size Windsor armchair branded by Thomas Gilpin.
There is also a range of Queen Anne and Chippendale chairs with ornate carving, as well as an early Philadelphia chest-on-chest and a Chester County desk with line-and-berry inlay.
Admission to this exhibit is included with a guided tour of the Henry Muhlenberg House. Contact us at [email protected] to schedule a tour.
Featured Objects
Upcoming Exhibits
Redware plate attributed to Jacob Medinger. Private collection. Photo by Gavin Ashworth
From Hubener to Medinger: Redware Potters of Montgomery County
This groundbreaking exhibition will explore the topic of Pennsylvania German redware with a focus on Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.