The Domestic Lives of the Founding Families
Division of Collections & Infrastructure
Sharples, James, 1752-1811, “Sarah Jay and Her Children, front,” Columbia University Libraries Online Exhibitions
Sharples, James, 1752-1811, “Sarah Jay and Her Children, front,” Columbia University Libraries Online Exhibitions
Diplomacy at Home: The Domestic Lives of the Founding Families at the Katonah Museum of Art will explores the private lives of America’s founders through objects from their homes—including furniture, fine art, decorative objects, and personal possessions— revealing how domestic spaces shaped political life and diplomacy.
On view from June through October 2026, the NEH-supported exhibition highlights the value of material culture in defining the Founding Families’ central role as the architects who framed the foundation for our collective national history and explores the meaning of “home” across lives defined by public service. With special focus on New York figures such as John Jay and Alexander Hamilton among others, Diplomacy at Home: The Domestic Lives of the Founding Families also foregrounds the essential roles of women including Martha Washington and Sarah Jay, who were instrumental to the development of the political and diplomatic culture of the newly formed United States.