See if you can find the match to these nine clues as you explore our virtual tour of three exhibitions at the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg.
Folk Portraits
Find a portrait with a dog with brown spots.
Answer: Did you find the portrait of Mrs. Seth Wilkinson?
Find a man wearing a yellow vest. What does he do for a living?
Answer: Jonathan Adams Barlett is wearing a yellow vest in his self-portrait. He’s an artist.
Find the group portrait with a child holding a peppermint stick.
Answer: Did you find the Hansbury Sisters? Books and flowers were common props for portraiture, but in the portrait of the Hansbury Sisters, the youngest is holding a peppermint stick.
British Masterworks
Find a painting portraying the Colony of Virginia’s namesake.
Answer: Virginia was named after “the Virgin Queen,” Queen Elizabeth I, whose portrait by an unidentified artist is part of this collection.
Find a tall piece that has a hidden desk in its top drawer.
Answer: Did you find the mahogany secretary and bookcase? What looks like a cabinet from the outside is a secretary drawer, which folds down as a desk.
Find a long picture made of 55 square parts.
Answer: Did you find the tin-glazed earthenware tile picture? 55 tiles comprise this scene of an exotic riverscape.
German Toys
Find a toy based on a story from the Bible.
Answer: Noah’s Ark was one of the most popular toys throughout the 19th century and was often called a “Sunday Toy.” While other toys might be considered distracting on Sunday, this ark and animal figurines have the advantage of being based on a biblical story.
Find a toy that can “squeak” and flap its wings. Duck squeak toy.
Answer: The bird squeak toy can be found in the area labeled “What’s in That Toy?”. A double bellows inside the toy creates two distinct “tweets.”
Find the object that helped American toy sellers buy toys made 4,000 miles away.
Answer: A catalog! German marketers issued catalogs with thousands of toys in them. American toy sellers could order and purchase toys they wished to sell in their shops.
Download a printable version of this scavenger hunt here.
Don’t peek until you’re ready! Download the answer key here.