Curatorial Collection

The Curatorial Collection consists of objects acquired for the purposes of exhibition or research. Such objects include decorative and fine arts, horse-drawn vehicles, tools and other utilitarian wares, textiles, and personal accessories. The collection also includes objects found within the architectural context (i.e., behind walls and under floor boards).

Curator Gretchen Goodell is developing furnishing plans for the Great House and surrounding outbuildings to reflect a new generation of information gleaned from historical, archaeological and architectural research. Architectural and archaeological investigations, as well as documentary research, are ongoing. Our goal is for visitors to be able to experience a setting that would have looked familiar to the Lees.

The Lee Heritage Interpretive Plan was developed as an outline for the interpretation of the historic area. It challenges us to effectively interpret four distinct periods of Stratford Hall's history:

1. The construction by Thomas Lee
2. Economic development by Philip Ludwell Lee
3. Its renovation by Revolutionary hero "Light Horse Harry" Lee and the birth of his son Robert E. Lee
4. Its eventual restoration by the Robert E. Lee Memorial Foundation

Recent Acquisitions

19th Century Tureen

TUREEN AND LADLE

Staffordshire, England
Earthenware, 19th century

Elizabeth McCarty Storke, sister-in-law of Henry Lee IV, lived at Stratford for over 50 years. This covered tureen and ladle are part of a larger dinner service used by Mrs. Storke. According to family recollections, "there was one room on the main floor at Stratford where she kept the best pieces."

Gift of Ann Bellah Copeland in Memory of her Grandmother Ruth Yeaton Stuart [2009.003]

Unidentified Man

UNIDENTIFIED MAN

Likely England or America
Watercolor on ivory, 18th century

Portrait miniatures were popular 18th-century devices for capturing a loved one's image and were often carried by spouses. This miniature has a history of ownership by descendants of Robert E. Lee and is believed to depict a member of the Lee family.

Purchase, Caroline Ryan Foulke Fund [2007.001]

Collection Highlights

Please visit the Great House page to see collection highlights. You can view the floorplan and special items from both the Ground and Main floors.

Please click here to view our Collecting Plan