The Louisiana Gallery | Louisiana State Society DAR

Located inside the DAR Museum in Washington, D.C.

The DAR Museum—the only decorative arts museum in the D.C. area and free to the public-
interprets objects used and created in American homes. Using the lens of varied interpretations
of “home,” it inspires conversations about the diverse American experience, encouraging visitors
to discover common ground. Its 30,000-object collection consists of furnishings, ceramics, glass, textiles, and household items made and used in America from colonial times through the early 20th century. Visitors can explore 31 period rooms inside the Beaux-Arts-style Memorial
Continental Hall, each arranged to represent a different time and place in American history, as
well as a main gallery with an annually changing exhibit, a study gallery for close-up viewing of
objects, and the Yokim Gallery, which features furniture and portraits.

The Louisiana Gallery is one of these period rooms, uniquely designed for visitors to step inside
and explore its rich stories up close—unlike most rooms, which are viewed from behind a
doorway or barrier. Designed as an open gallery space, it serves as a dynamic educational
environment. Interactive tables and wall panels invite guests to discover Louisiana’s rich history
of music, cuisine, architecture, economy, and more.

The gallery celebrates the diverse cultures that shaped Louisiana’s identity—French, Spanish,
Acadian, free and enslaved people of color, German, Creole, Indigenous peoples, and
others—each contributing to the state’s distinctive heritage.

During the Gott Administration (2023–2025), the Louisiana State Society proudly marked the
gallery’s reinstatement and revitalization. Under the leadership of State Curator Bobbi Foster and in collaboration with DAR Museum staff, the updates included archival display cases,
touchscreen exhibits, and enhanced storytelling. The result is a space that balances historical
accuracy with hands-on discovery, inviting visitors to connect deeply with Louisiana’s past.
Today, the Louisiana Gallery stands renewed as a vibrant testament to the DAR’s mission of
historic preservation, education, and patriotism—welcoming all who wish to experience
Louisiana’s remarkable story and its enduring place in America’s journey.

Features of the Louisiana Gallery

Items housed in the Louisiana Room consist of:

Two late Neoclassical chairs
- 1830-1845
  - With black horsehair upholstery, structured in the manner of Francois Seignouret.
    - A famed French cabinetmaker, Seignouret worked in New Orleans from about 1812 to 1853 when he returned to France. These chairs reflect the klismos form that this master craftsman adapted from the Greek model to his own work.
  - The curved and molded crest rails sweep down to join side rails that form the low arm supports.
Cherry armoire or wardrobe
- 1810-1820, Louisiana or lower Mississippi River Valley
  - An important form representative of the French influence in this region. Stylistically kin to French provincial, French-Canadian, and other ethnic forms of wardrobes, it is simple in design and sometimes identifiable by woods, especially cypress as a secondary wood.
  - Constructed with two full-length doors that conceal upper shelves and a clutch of three to four drawers for the storage of clothing and textiles.
Portrait of Princess Achille Murat, née Catherine Daingerfield Willis Gray
- 1837
  - Provides a link between historical American and French leaders. The princess, a grandniece of George Washington, was married in 1826 to Prince Napoleon Achille Murat, nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte. The Acadians were originally French settlers of Nova Scotia who were expelled by the English, beginning in 1755, for refusing to take an oath of allegiance to the British Crown. Many Acadians chose the Louisiana territory with its large population of people of French origin. Mostly settling in more isolated areas, the Acadians, today is known as the Cajuns, managed to maintain their special traditions.
A blanket and rug of homespun and home-dyed cotton
- 19th Century, Acadiana
  - Woven of pink, dyed and natural brown cotton.

Louisiana State Society Daughters of the American Revolution

Louisiana State Society
Daughters of the American Revolution