Pennsylvania Antiques Show 2026

21 PENNSYLVANIA ANTIQUES SHOW at Valley Forge German-speaking immigrants were among the largest and most influential communities in eighteenth- century Pennsylvania, yet their role in the American Revolution is often overlooked. Window to Revolution: Pennsylvania Germans and the War for Independence, now on view at Historic Trappe, explores how these families experienced—and helped shape—the Revolutionary era. Window to Revolution brings together objects that illuminate the political, religious, and domestic lives of Pennsylvania Germans during the war. Among the highlights are a rare surviving fragment of a flag carried by the 6th Virginia Regiment; a fraktur depicting George Washington on horseback; and a portrait of General Peter Muhlenberg in his military uniform. Together, these objects reveal how German-speaking communities engaged directly with the military and political struggles of the Revolution. The exhibition also draws extensively from the journals of Lutheran pastor Henry Muhlenberg. Written in German, these remarkable documents provide a vivid account of daily life in the region as news of independence spread and the war moved closer to Philadelphia. Through Muhlenberg’s observations, the exhibition explores how war reshaped households, communities, and religious life across southeastern Pennsylvania. Presented during the nation’s 250th anniversary, Window to Revolution offers a new perspective on the American Revolution by highlighting the material culture and lived experiences of one of early Pennsylvania’s most influential communities. W I ND OW TO R E VO LU T I ON : Pennsyl vania Germans and the War for Independence Fig 3: Rev. Henry Muhlenberg, journal entry dated July 4, 1776. Collection of the Lutheran Archives Center at Philadelphia. Photo by Gavin Ashworth. Fig 2: Portrait of General Peter Muhlenberg, attributed to John Trumbull, c. 1795. Collection of Brian and Barbara Hendelson. Photo by Gavin Ashworth.