We found yet another place to tour in Washington DC that we hadn't visited - The Hillwood Estate Museum and Gardens. This was a home (one of several) owned by Marjorie Merriweather Post, the only child of the founder of the Postum Cereal Company which became Post Cereals. She became the sole heiress of the company in 1914 upon the deaths of her parents, and by exposure to art collectors in Manhattan and other places, she became a serious art collector with a special focus on Russian art. She was married and divorced four times, became an astute business woman, expanding the company she inherited to include Birdseye Foods.
After her divorce from her fourth husband in 1955 she purchased Hillwood and promptly remodeled it so that she could include not only her ever growing collection of priceless works of art but also whole rooms of furnishings, the walls, the lighting, etc. from various castles and homes in Europe which she imported and incorporated into the house. Upon her death in 1973 she bequeathed the estate to The Smithsonian, but they decided they couldn't keep it and use it as they wanted, so gave it back and it is now owned and operated by the foundation she set up. She had always wanted the house to be a museum. One of her daughters is a familiar name - the actress Dina Merrill.
We took a docent-led tour - very good and we learned a lot. It was almost visual overload, though. Just so many fabulous treasures and room after beautiful room in the home. I took a few photos which I will post to give a small idea of what is in this home.
The mansion.
The beautiful dining room
A charming breakfast room
Two stunningly beautiful items we saw were two Faberge eggs, not just any, but imperial celebration eggs, made specifically for royalty. We were told that there are 43 - 50 (our guide said 43, the booklet says 50) in existence, and Hillwood has two of them.
There is so much more in this museum that it would be hard to list even every category. To name a few: icons, orthodox robes, chalices, orbs, Russian porcelain and other table service used by the Czars, jade, paintings, tapestries, elaborate little boxes, enameled art pieces, jewelry, chandeliers, furniture (much of it French), rugs, clothing, books, silver, well, you get the idea.
We walked around some of the gardens. While not much is in bloom right now due to the cold weather we've had, the Japanese gardens are always lovely.
That concluded our tour. It was time for tea - standing in museums is hard work!
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