In 1937, Wallis Simpson wrote to King Edward VIII that “the possession of beautiful things is thrilling to me.” This has always resonated with me. The items in this collection are thrilling to me. The ability to temporarily possess and preserve items from this incredible story is even more thrilling.

 

I have always been interested in stories of aftermath. The story of what happened to the Duke and Duchess of Windsor after the 1936 abdication has always been my favorite. Where did they go after the abdication? What did they do? This collection is a small window into those restless, wandering years remembered for their elegant and slightly mysterious main characters.

 

Echoes of the Duchess is a collection of objects associated with Edward and Wallis, Duke and Duchess of Windsor, and the cultural legacy surrounding the Duchess’s life. Much maligned and reduced by history to an insultingly basic villain, the Duchess’s legacy is undergoing a reexamination, and a different, vibrant version of this fascinating woman is finally coming to light.

 

This small, curated archive includes artifacts from the Windsor’s collection (dispersed through an unprecedented public auction of royal artifacts in 1997), a selection of personal correspondence, historical memorabilia related to the coronation and abdication era, and later interpretations inspired by the Duchess’s celebrated jewelry collection.