Discover aspects of American history and culture through a selection of objects from Waddesdon Manor’s collections, including paintings, sculpture, books, ceramics and silver. Some may be familiar but are viewed through a different lens, while others are on display for the first time, selected from store and from the archive.
This trail marks the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence – the founding document of the United States of America. Some objects offer insights into indigenous American culture, before the arrival of Europeans, beginning with Christopher Columbus’s (1451-1506) voyage in 1492. Others shed light on the early exploration and colonisation of the continent by European powers during the 16th and 17th centuries, as well as European perceptions of the ‘New World’.