The Fund to Conserve U.S. Diplomatic Treasures Abroad (Fund to Conserve) was honored to be invited by the Washington Winter Show to develop and present an exhibition celebrating America’s 250th as part of the 71st Washington Antiques Show on January 9 – 11, 2026. Planning began in the summer of 2024. We’ve been leading the project and collaborating with our public sector partner, the Office of Cultural Heritage within the Department of State’s Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations, to curate the story and identify heritage collections pieces for the exhibition. The exhibit, Marks of Friendship: 250 Years of U.S. Diplomatic Treasures Abroad, showcases objects that help tell the story of America’s rise from its humble beginnings as a small, experimental republic to the heights of world leadership over the last two and half centuries. 
Leaders of civilizations have presented or accepted art and cultural objects, among other items, as symbols of friendship, peace or collaboration for thousands of years. The exchange of ideas, trade, culture, and gifts has marked the relationships of the United States from the colonists’ efforts to become an independent nation to the present day. Marks of Friendship is a rare opportunity to see select objects, including fine and decorative arts, drawn from U.S. diplomatic posts around the world. These objects are more than artifacts, furnishings and art; they are gestures of diplomacy. Left Image: A 1755 map depicting British and French land in North America. Library of Congress.