Henry Francis du Pont, was an American horticulturist, an expert and collector of early American furniture and decorative arts, and a member of the prominent du Pont family. For more than 40 years, he was recognized as a premier breeder for his herd of Holstein Friesian cattle.
Through the decades, he expanded his mansion sixfold, resulting in 175 rooms full of fine furniture and furnishings. In 1951 he established his estate of Winterthur in Delaware as what has been recognized as the premier museum of American Decorative Arts.