WINTERTHUR, DE.- Visitors to Winterthur can slide on a pair of special 3-D glasses and step into the past to see images of Winterthur when it was the private home of Henry Francis du Pont and his family in Double Vision: 1930s Design at Winterthur. This unique exhibition of stereographs, or three-dimensional images, taken in 1935 and 1938, reveal du Pont’s love of color and design. Winterthur will provide special 3-D glasses to all visitors to allow them to experience the exceptional images as originally intended.

Du Pont used his collection of American architectural elements and antiques to create interiors meant to evoke the past but which were characteristically 1930s in style. Considered to be among the most beautiful in America, these interiors inspired influential designers, collectors and other taste-makers. Their influence spread solely through the praise of those who visited Winterthur, an array of noted designers, antiques dealers, and high-society friends.

Stereographs were popular from the early days of photography until the mid-1940s. Photos were taken with a special double-lensed camera. When seen through a stereo viewer the two views merge and appear three-dimensional. The stereo photographs of Winterthur were shot in black and white, and then each card was carefully hand-painted in color by an artist. Du Pont’s commission of more than 300 stereo cards is one of the largest known of a private home.

“Winterthur is not only a museum of American decorative arts, it is a museum of du Pont’s design,” said Maggie Lidz, Winterthur’s estate historian. “These stereoviews were taken during du Pont’s most active period of collecting. This was the first version of the rooms visitors now tour.”

In the 1930s Winterthur functioned on many levels: as a family home, as a place to entertain guests, and as a showcase for du Pont’s extensive collection of American decorative art and architecture. Some rooms were used exclusively as display spaces, while others functioned as both display and used spaces, such as guest bedrooms or sitting rooms. After dinner, Henry Francis du Pont would conduct tours through the rooms for his houseguests.

Each room featured carefully planned placement of furniture and other objects as well as harmonious colors of the architectural paneling and antique fabrics. Du Pont changed the rugs, curtains, and upholstery covers seasonally to reflect the changing colors of the garden. Guests were invited to view these stereo photographs of Winterthur’s interiors in order to see their beauty at different seasons of the year.

The exhibition is on view in conjunction with the second annual Chic It Up! Winterthur Design Conference, which will take place May 16-17 and will focus on American design in the 1930s. In addition, visitors can take a special tour in the house to see what survives from the 1930s at Winterthur today and understand how the rooms have evolved over time.