A Common Thread
Preserving the Tapestry Gifts of Larz and Isabel Anderson to Washington National Cathedral
Thursday, April 7, 2011 6:30–8:30 PM
(left): Reproduced by permission
of the Society of the Cincinnati,
Washington, D.C.
The Washington Committee of the National Cathedral Association is pleased to announce a special fundraising event to help defray the enormous cost of preserving the extraordinary tapestries given by the Anderson family to Washington National Cathedral. View a gallery of the tapestries »
A Common Thread: Preserving the Tapestry Gifts of Larz and Isabel Anderson to Washington National Cathedral is a special reception and lecture on the Cathedral’s tapestries. It will take place on Thursday, April 7, 2011, from 6:30 to 8:30 pm in Anderson House, 2118 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC. After the reception and talk, docents will be available to interpret some of the beautifully restored rooms of Anderson house, which include such features as carved wood walls, gilded ceilings, ornate iron staircases and intricate marble floors.
In 1931, Larz and Isabel Anderson donated the funding for the construction and embellishment of St. Mary’s Chapel in Washington National Cathedral. Mr. Anderson, a noted diplomat, former Ambassador to Belgium and veteran of the Spanish American War, was the owner of Anderson House, the splendid Beaux Arts mansion, which now serves as the headquarters of the Society of the Cincinnati.
Within the home, the Andersons displayed their remarkable collection of tapestries, collected during their world travels. In 1937, after Mr. Anderson’s death, Mrs. Anderson made a gift to the Cathedral of six tapestries from the sixteenth century illustrating the story of David and Goliath and of King Saul’s jealousy over David’s victory. Woven in Italy by Flemish weavers, these tapestries were originally purchased 1587 by Italian nobility. They were purchased by Mr. Anderson in 1898.
In 2002, the Cathedral began the painstaking process of stabilizing and restoring these tapestry treasures. At that time, the Cathedral began to send each tapestry to the Textile Conservation Laboratory at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York. Once there, each tapestry was removed from its mounting and delicately and thoroughly cleaned. Every inch was closely examined and weak areas were stabilized. Holes or slits were carefully repaired. The restored tapestry then received new vertical and horizontal headers and straps were sewn to the top to help support the tapestries when they were reinstalled in St. Mary’s and Holy Spirit Chapels.
Tickets to the April 7, 2011, event start at $125.00 per person and attendance is strictly limited to 150 people.
If you would be interested in receiving a formal invitation to attend this event, please click here to leave your name and address »
If you cannot attend, but would like to make a donation to help defray the cost of the tapestries’ restoration, please click here »