Julius Norton, ca. 1840
Erastus Salisbury Field (1805-1900)
Bequest of Mrs. Harold C. Payson (Dorothy Norton)

Early Vermont Gallery

New to the Gallery:  While visiting the Early Vermont Gallery, explore the installation of Miniatures and Small Portraits from the Museum’s collection dating back to the American Revolution. Featured in this display is a framed tintype and watercolor of a painting of Lt. Jonathan Holton, a soldier in the Battle of Bennington. A Lieutenant of the Nichols Regiment, Holton was wounded at Bennington on August 16, 1777. His wound is visible in the portrait also on view.  Watch here as Callie Raspuzzie, Collections Manager of Bennington Museum shares the serendipitous acquisition - a combination of social media, a keen eye, a little luck, and generous donors - which brought this object home.    Watch Video

A permanent installation with rotating textiles, the Early Vermont Gallery presents life in Vermont from the time when the earliest European settlers arrived in 1761 with only the bare necessities to the early 1800s when Vermont craftsmen achieved a level of sophistication rivaling Boston and New York. (1760s to early-1800s) Explored through stories and vignettes, this gallery showcases over 85 major pieces and smaller items from the Museum’s extensive historical collection of over 30,000 objects. These objects serve two distinct purposes. First, to share with the public the deep, rich collection maintained here at the Museum and second, to tell fascinating stories of the early life in Vermont. Housed in the former Decorative Arts Gallery, this 866 square foot space includes beautiful pieces representing the sophistication achieved not long after Vermont was first settled.

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