WE THE PEOPLE
[Re]visitor Center
Visitor Center Gets New Name, Fresh Look and New Exhibition
Last June, Montpelier President Kat Imhoff
announced that the Visitor Center at James
Madison’s Montpelier would carry David M.
Rubenstein’s name in recognition of his crucial
support of The Montpelier Foundation.
Opened in January, the revitalized David M.
Rubenstein Visitor Center emphasizes interaction
with our knowledgeable staff, expanded retail
offerings featuring work of local artisans alongside
our traditional collection of history-themed
gifts, and an impressive selection of books for
readers of all ages to explore in our comfortable
reading area.
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We are also very pleased to introduce a new
exhibition titled Queen of Hearts: Dolley Madison
in Popular Culture on display in the Joe and Marge
Grills Gallery. Known for her hospitality and
outsized persona, Dolley inspired generations of
branding that featured her name and likeness—
which gradually morphed into an archetypal
depiction of a Southern belle—in addition to other
ephemera and iconography. The playful and thoughtprovoking collection features items that capture
Dolley’s prominence as the nation’s “1st First Lady”
through the 19th and 20th centuries. The items
pictured above include a cigar box, bobby pins, a toy
spinning wheel and a bottle for perfume.