Linda was born and brought up in Newington. Her family had no particular interest in antiques. It was at Smith College, the result of an American Studies class, that Linda got involved in a yearlong seminar at Historic Deerfield. That experience, she claims, gave her a visceral awarenessof the people of long ago who crafted the objects we now call antiques. For her Junior year Linda attended Connecticut College, where she was able to enter an internship program at Yale University Art Museum that exposed her to the leading edge of in-depth research.

Tavern table, c. 1740, pine oval top, birch splay-leg base, interesting hand forged semicircular wrought iron repairs to stabilize fracture in top, molded box stretcher.

   A big part of the estate auction business, Linda believes, is psychological.  “People who are downsizing,” she explains, “often become decision weary when it comes time to decide what to keep and what to sell. What really hurts some people is the realization that the next generation in their family isn’t interested in their antiques. I tell them to think of Winter Associates as an adoption agency where their treasures can find new people who will feel the sense of discovery and joy that they did.”
In its over thirty five years of business, Winters Associates has auctioned off some impressive Connecticut antiques, including a pair of Amos Doolittle copper engravingsthat were estimated at $50K for the pair but went for just shy of $500K for the both, including buyer’s premium.  Linda tells of a family in Southbury whose house went back to the 18th century.  The house had been passed down from one generation to another and was full of furniture and furnishings from the earliest days that had been kept inoriginal condition. During the cataloging phase of the sale,Linda was going through boxes found in the attic. One box held a collection of letters.“They were by a Civil War soldier writing home to his wife,” she recalls. “They mentioned battles he was in and how much he was looking forward to coming home.  Then I came across an envelope in a different hand. It was to his wifefrom the chaplain of her husband’s unit. The chaplain wrote that her husbandhad been wounded, but not grievously, and was on his way to the hospital. The next letter in the stack was also from the chaplain, and when I picked it up I could feel there was something in it. I turned the envelope upside down and a twisted piece of lead fell out. In the letter the chaplain said he was sad to inform herthat her husband had succumbed to the infection and that he was including with the letter the bullet that was removed from his body.”  The letters, including the bullet, sold at auction for $10K.
   Over the years, Linda has shared her experiences and expertise with many people. She has lectured on antiques for Old Sturbridge Village’s Antique Collectors Weekend and for numerous historical societies, retirement communities and clubs in the Greater `Hartford area.