Madison Exhibits

The Grills Gallery Exhibition

During the restoration process of the Montpelier mansion, visitors may view Madison furniture and furnishings in a variety of exhibits.

"Treasures of Montpelier" Exhibit

Located in the Joe and Marge Grills Gallery at the Visitor Center, this gallery serves as the Montpelier museum where rare Madison and Madison-era objects are featured. The objects, many on loan, have returned to Montpelier for the first time since Dolley Madison sold the estate in 1844.

Other Madison exhibits are located in the Education Center where visitors can see the:

"Search for the Treasures of the Madisons' Collections"

Here visitors will see objects on display that illustrate the lives of James Madison (1751-1836), Dolley Madison (1768-1849), and James' parents, who all lived at Montpelier. This gallery-style exhibit will raise visitors' awareness of the process it takes to investigate the history of furnishings. Many items on display are those that were purchased at auctions held at Montpelier since the Madisons' residency, or, through family tradition, are believed to have a Madison provenance (history of ownership). Included in the exhibit is a circa 1760 walnut corner cupboard, likely made in Fredericksburg; a circa 1815 bedstead and bed steps; a circa 1805 secretary, thought to have remained at Montpelier after Dolley sold the house in 1844; and a circa 1765 walnut gate-leg table, believed to have been originally used by Madison, Jr., as a study table at Montpelier.

c.1760 corner cupboard	c.1815 bedstead
c.1805 secretary	c.1765 gate-leg Table

"Public Places ~ Private Spaces: The Madison Dining Room"

This exhibit at the Education Center presents a vignette of the Madison dining room from the Montpelier mansion, and provides a view of how the Madisons lived.

Imagine that you have stepped back in time and it is November 17, 1824. General Lafayette and his entourage are staying with the Madisons at Montpelier for a few days while on his "triumphal tour" of the United States. Come see how the Madisons dined with one of their most famed guests.

Curators are Sleuths, Discovering Montpelier's Past

Since this exhibit's initial installation on March 16, 2001, numerous discoveries have been uncovered during curatorial and architectural research related to the Madison's Dining Room. This exhibit will show our "work in progress" as we delve into questions about "What color would the walls have been?" or "Which chair would Madison have sat in?" We invite you to come learn about the research process curators conduct research on furnishings, decorative arts, and artwork the Madisons owned to discover the truth about James and Dolley's everyday lives.

"James Madison: Architect of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights"

This exhibit in the Education Center is a dynamic and visually stimulating treatise on Madison's role in the development, writing, and implementation of two of America's most important documents. Our government is formed on the basis of these works and Madison, as the Father of the Constitution and the architect of the Bill of Rights, was instrumental in the drafting and the realization of this democracy.