Voted the Best Place to See by Condé Nast Traveler.
Drayton Hall Preservation Trust is always grateful for donations to our decorative arts collections that reflect the long history of Drayton Hall. This year we received two wonderful 18th century engravings of William Henry Drayton (1742-1779) who was the eldest surviving son of John Drayton (1715-1779). The engravings were published in London in 1783. The engravings were made from portraits painted by Pierre Eugène du Simitière (1737-1784) in Philadelphia in 1779. The name du Simitière is likely familiar to followers of Drayton Hall as he is the same Swiss-born artist who painted the 1765 watercolor of Drayton Hall. William Henry Drayton and du Simitière crossed paths in Philadelphia when William Henry was serving as one of South Carolina’s representatives to the Second Continental Congress. du Simitière’s collection of Revolutionary portraits is rare in hindsight in that it included both George Washington and Benedict Arnold. Unfortunately, William Henry Drayton died during his term in Philadelphia in 1779, the same year his father, John, died fleeing the British in Charleston. We are delighted to have not one, but two likenesses of William Henry Drayton in our collections now thanks to Mr. James Langhorne.
-Sarah Stroude Clarke, Director of Museum Affairs
Hannah Truman is a graduate student completing her MS in the Clemson University Historic Preservation program. As the 2024 Riley Collections Fellow, Hannah documented nail holes, extant hanging…
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For some individuals, a place leaves an impression. That was certainly the case for Indiana native Sally Reahard, whose single visit of Drayton Hall changed the course of the site…
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info@draytonhall.org
3380 Ashley River Road
Charleston, SC 29414
Drayton Hall's main house and landscape are open to the public daily from 9 am to 5:00pm* (gate closes at 3:30 pm). The gate will accept no cash transactions.
