The Collections

The Seward House Museum is filled with fine and decorative art, photographs, manuscripts and souvenirs acquired during Seward’s travels abroad.

Decorative Arts

View six sets of porcelain, dozens of pieces of table silver collected by the Sewards, as well as furniture from noted cabinetmakers.

Silver-plated epergne purchased at M. W. Galt’s jewelry store in Washington, DC. William Seward paid $260 in 1861 for this elaborate table centerpiece.

Fine Arts

Nationally-recognized artists Emanuel Leutze,  Henry Inman and Chester Harding are represented in the museum collection, along with regional painters, John E. Freeman, George Clough and John Carlin.

Emanuel Leutze’s postmortem portrait of Fanny Seward, 1866.

Books and Manuscripts

A family of avid readers, the library contains over 6,000 volumes accumulated by four generations. The manuscript collection includes correspondence, account books, scrapbooks and photograph albums. Researchers may request special access to use these collections by contacting director@sewardhouse.org.

William Seward’s mathematics notebook, c. 1814.

Household Items

Seward House is filled with the large and small objects of everyday life – from cooking utensils to children’s toys.

“Uncle Tom’s Cabin” jigsaw puzzle. This was a Christmas present to Fanny Seward in 1853.