Sarah and Eleanor Hewitt, the sisters who established the Cooper Union Museum for the Arts of Decoration in 1897 and granddaughters of famed industrialist Peter Cooper, used their considerable means and impressive intelligence to amass a collection comprised of centuries of furniture, textiles, drawings, wallcoverings, and more—the basis of the collection now housed at Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. You can learn all about them in our current exhibition Sarah and Eleanor Hewitt: Designing a Modern Museum.

While they both were intelligent, forward thinkers, they were also individuals with their own sensibilities and temperaments. Take the quiz to get to know the sisters and find out which sister you are!

1. Is your handwriting . . . ?

A. Almost entirely inscrutable
B. Neat and orderly

2. How would you most prefer to spend your weekend?

A. Horseback riding
B. Gardening

3. Would you say you’re . . . ?

A. Business minded
B. Education driven

4. How would your friends describe you?

A. Busy
B. Pretty

5. Would you rather . . . ?

A. Play a musical instrument
B. Go see a theater performance

Which Sister are you?

Woman laying down on a pile of pillows in lots of layered, drapey clothing. Sword on the ground to her left and a peacock feather fan beside it.

Sarah in costume at the Vanderbilt Ball, 1883

Mostly A: You’re a Sarah: Robust, Witty, Musical

Painted portrait of a young Eleanor Hewitt. She peers at the viewer wearing a delicate, ruffly light-colored dress, with a pink sash around her waist. Her hands are together, resting on her thigh.

Eleanor. Portrait by Antonia de Banuelos. Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum

Mostly B: You’re an Eleanor: Sweetly Spicy, Artistic, Clever