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Dutch Connection: A Sweet Reminder That Spring Is On Its Way

February 7–23 in the historic mansion at George Eastman Museum

Photo by Erich Camping.

Photo by Erich Camping.

Rochester, N.Y., January 30, 2025—

The George Eastman Museum’s annual Dutch Connection floral display will be on view this February 7–23 throughout the historic mansion. A favorite drawing thousands of visitors yearly, the display serves as a sweet reminder that spring is on its way. 

Every year between 1905 and 1932, George Eastman ordered tens of thousands of bulbs from Holland. The orders were mostly for tulips, narcissus, and hyacinths for his gardens, and some for indoor forcing (tricking bulbs to bloom out of season). Eastman’s annual bulb orders were inspired by the flower fields he saw while bicycling through the countryside during a trip to Holland in 1895. A nod to those original orders, the annual display features thousands of colorful tulips, hyacinths, daffodils, amaryllis, and spring annuals, filling the historic mansion. Tropical orchids, courtesy of the Genesee Regional Orchid Society, are displayed as well.

In addition to enjoying  the array of bulb flowers, visitors have the opportunity to take part in related events and activities, including:

  • Plant Sale: Take a piece of Dutch Connection home with you by purchasing a plant at the Lipson Welcome Center.
  • Valentine’s Day Brunch & Film: A delicious brunch, flowering bulbs, and a screening of Moonstruck (1987, Norman Jewison) on Sunday, February 9. Brunch will be served in the Museum at 10 a.m. (doors open at 9:15 a.m.), with the film screening at 12 p.m. in the  Dryden Theatre. $75 Registration required. RSVP by Saturday, Feb. 1. Call (585) 327-4935. Organized by the Eastman Museum Council.  
  • Dutch Connection Coffee Talks: Enjoy a behind-the-scenes look into the making of the annual Dutch Connection floral display. Join Landscape Manager Byron Smith over coffee as he discusses the various aspects of what it takes to design and implement a large flower show. There will be a guided tour of the display following the talk. $10 members; $30 nonmembers. Registration required.
    Saturday, February 8, 2025, 9 a.m., Multipurpose Hall
    Sunday, February 16, 2025, 10 a.m., Multipurpose Hall
    Saturday, February 22, 2025, 9 a.m., Multipurpose Hall
  • Create, Draw, Learn, and Plant: Throughout Dutch Connection in the Donna Fielding Discovery Room, read about bulb flowers and draw your own. View the root system of bulb flowers and try your hand at building a Lego daffodil.
  • FREE Bulb Kits for Kids: Available for children, free with museum admission. Kits include a pot, soil, and a forced bulb to take home, plant, and watch grow and flower. While supplies last.

Dutch Connection is generously supported by Gerald and Karen Kral. In-kind support provided by Monroe County Parks Department and Pike’s Greenhouse, Avon, NY.

At-Home Activities

About the George Eastman Museum
Founded in 1947, the George Eastman Museum is the world’s oldest photography museum and one of the largest film archives in the United States, located on the historic Rochester estate of entrepreneur and philanthropist George Eastman, the pioneer of popular photography. Its holdings comprise more than 400,000 photographs, 28,000 motion picture films, the world’s preeminent collection of photographic and cinematographic technology, one of the leading libraries of books related to photography and cinema, and extensive holdings of documents and other objects related to George Eastman. As a research and teaching institution, the Eastman Museum has an active publishing program, and its L. Jeffrey Selznick School of Film Preservation’s graduate program (a collaboration with the University of Rochester) makes critical contributions to film preservation. For more information, visit eastman.org.
 

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ATTN. Media: High-resolution images and captions can be found here. Please credit all photos to Erich Camping.

Media Contact: 
Danielle Raymo
Communications Manager
(585) 327-4813
[email protected]

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