Page 44 - The Hunt - Winter 2019/2020

FEAST FOR THE EYES
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Finding and creating those authentic displays requires ingenuity, since catalogs and movie prop companies offer foods that are “too bright and have to be repainted,” says Westbrook.
To ensure a period match, much research must be done before mock-ups ever reach
the table. Old recipes and books on hearth cooking give creators a chance to make the
real foods first, so they know what the finished products should look like before trying to replicate them from inedible materials. Among the decadent displays at Winterthur are the infamous peacock, elegantly displayed in the center of the table, a bevy of savory desserts, and a display of oysters. “A local restaurant gave me a bag of oyster shells, which I had to boil numerous times, scrub and then soak in bleach,” says Westbrook.
The result is uncannily realistic—and it’s not Westbrook’s only trick. The tea and coffee, plain and with cream, are actually round Mylar inserts that sit inside the cup just below the rim.
Elsewhere, there’s game pie, pig’s foot and petit fours, plus a turkey. All are so real looking that they can only be considered works of art, which is appropriate given their surroundings among one of the most prolific collections of Americana artifacts from 1640-1860. “The perfectly roasted turkey was made so long ago that no one remembers who made it or what the exact process was,” says Westbrook.
Winterthur goes to great lengths to protect it. After all, it is an essential. “Come the holidays, every museum needs a turkey,” says Harper.
Visit www.winterthur.org.
SUGAR & SPICE
Sweets are the centerpiece at Eleutherian Mills at Hagley Museum, which offers twilight tours during the holidays. E. I. du Pont loved a good party, and the holidays were no exception. “We do a traditional Twelfth Night display of desserts because we know from our archives that Twelfth Night parties actually took place here,” says Debra Hughes, the curator of collections and exhibits.
It’s quite a change from what visitors see the rest of the year, when “the tables present the French porcelain and cutlery used by the family in the early 1800s,” Hughes says. “Come holiday time, though, the festive foods come out of storage and cover the tables in faux decadence.”
A Styrofoam cake covered in artificial raspberries gets a break this year, replaced by a traditional Twelfth Night cake, which usually
Guests on Historic Odessa’s Curator Candlelight Tour can examine certain faux food items for themselves.
74 THE HUNT MAGAZINE winter 2019-20
contains small gifts or trinkets for guests. Surrounded by faux sugar ladyfingers, the cake is a masterpiece. Made of painted plaster, it rests on a more contemporary cake plate that can take the weight, as faux foods are often heavier than period tableware can handle.
Elsewhere, there are glasses of colorful gelatin made with plastic inserts and artificial topping, plus plates of petit fours and fruits. Wedges of faux sweet potato pie look equally delicious. “Once upon a time, several of these desserts and fruits would’ve been real,” says Hughes.
But that’s no longer the case. Hughes now orders items from catalogs or even picks them up at craft fairs. “If someone has made a very real looking ceramic cherry or apple pie, I buy it. We’re always looking for foods to stockpile and to help us switch out our displays.”
This year, Hagley’s theme is “Christmas Past and Present.” To make the displays come to life, Hughes spends considerable time in her kitchen garnishing Frosted Boxwoods that resemble dusty miller plants. The recipe comes from the 1837 archival records.
Hughes begins by cutting and cleaning sprigs of boxwood. The leaves are then dipped in slightly beaten egg whites, dredged in granulated sugar and baked until the sugar has crystallized. “The baking dries them out and preserves them, keeping the sugar from being a tempting treat for pests,” she says. “But these garnishes are still kept aside, remade and refreshed when necessary.”
Like the foods that once adorned the table, Hughes’ faux versions are a labor of love.
Visit www.hagley.org.
PEACOCK PIE, OH MY
Since 1986, the historic Delaware community of Odessa has welcomed holiday visitors with a nostalgic journey through classic children’s literature. Guests can explore historic estates like the Corbit-Sharp House, a National Historic Landmark that dates back to 1774
and exhibits furniture and household goods from 1818. There’s also the Wilson-Warner House, which is on National Register of Historic Places and was built around 1769.
Each year, the Historic Odessa Foundation decks out one such home, giving visitors a real feel for life in the 18th and 19th centuries. “We choose foods for the table and decorate one of these homes based on themes from children’s tales and poems,” says Brian Miller, an associate curator and former high school art teacher who oversees the décor and exhibits for Historic Odessa. “We feel that a presentation with food on the table makes a room come alive. It’s more welcoming.”
Past year’s themes have ranged from “Sleeping Beauty” to “Peter Pan” to “Hansel and Gretel.” This year, it’s “The Secret Garden.” “Usually, we have foods just in the kitchen to mark the seasons,” Miller says. “Come the holidays, faux feasts appear on main tables and faux fires are in fireplaces throughout the houses open to visitors.”
Odessa boasts a remarkable collection
of faux foods to furnish those displays, including pieces of a peacock pie, a dish that dates back to medieval times. “I’ve made a few things, but it’s a lot of work and messy,” admits Miller. Last year, the foundation inherited nearly 50 items and molds— including rockfish, meats and vegetables— from a former staff member at Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia. They also turn to artists specializing in period foods.
While museums typically discourage touching, visitors can get their hands on some of Historic Odessa’s faux foods on
the Curator Candlelight Tour, held the last Thursday before Christmas. For that, Miller selects plaster and clay delicacies from the tables for guests to examine. Certainly no feast for the stomach, they are a feast for the eyes—and the imagination.
Visit www.historicodessa.org.