Archive for April, 2011

All discussion of matrimony might center on the royal nuptials taken by Prince William and Kate Middleton earlier today, but we at Mount Vernon, with colonial history ever on our mind, thought it the perfect chance to highlight a British wedding of a different sort: that of George and Martha Washington.

Less than 10 months after meeting and only 18 months after the death of Martha’s first husband, Daniel Parke Custis, the couple tied the knot on January 6, 1759.

In addition to being the wealthiest widow in Virginia, Martha was also charming and attractive. George, who was 6 feet 2 inches tall, already had a distinguished military career.

The couple’s wedding took place at Martha’s home in New Kent County. Martha had specified when she ordered her wedding dress from London that it should be “grave but not Extravagent nor to be mourning.”

In the end the dress was a deep-yellow brocade with lace at the neck and sleeves. Underneath Martha wore a petticoat of white silk, interwoven with silver, and her shoes were purple satin with silver trimmings.

Remnants of a yellow brocade, purportedly cut from Martha’s gown and pieces of 2-inch wide lace are in Mount Vernon’s collection today as are her purple wedding shoes, which survive intact.

George Washington knew the power of a well-groomed head of hair and a nice suit of clothes, just like most presidents. No piece of furniture in Mount Vernon’s collection makes this more apparent than his dressing table, made in Paris during the reign of King Louis XVI.

“This table certainly doesn’t look like an instrument of statecraft,” says assistant curator Jennifer Van Horn, “but by helping Washington appear as a polite and refined person while serving as America’s first president, it helped him to define how the president should appear, and so I think it is a political artifact as well as a very personal one.”

The mahogany table, where Washington washed, shaved and was groomed, has all the trappings of a very sophisticated vanity. Apart from a writing slide that comes out for penning letters, the piece was mostly used by Washington for the day’s preparations. A hinged wooden top opens to reveal a mirror and a marble surface that protected the wood below from the likes of the water and essences (scents) as well as the hair powder that Washington would have used.

The central drawer below has five compartments, one of which has a removable box with shaped dividers and a lid. What would Washington have stored in all of these areas? The possibilities include razors, shaving equipment, toothbrushes, dental tools, bottles of essence, hair bags (which men used to tie their queues in) or perhaps even mementos and private items of personal significance that he didn’t want others to get at easily.

Washington acquired the dressing table in March 1790 from the departing French minister to the United States, the Comte de Moustier (1751-1817). After leaving the presidency, Washington shipped the table to Mount Vernon and placed it in his Study, where he spent several hours each morning attending to his private affairs.

The dressing table can be seen today in the A. Alfred Taubman Gallery of Mount Vernon’s Donald W. Reynolds Museum and Education Center.

Object Spotlight is a regular feature on George Washington Wired that highlights some of the household belongings that Washington came into contact with in his daily life. Assistant curator Jennifer Van Horn contributed to this report. Check out Mount Vernon’s eMuseum to find more of Washington’s belongings.

Dressing table: Purchase, 1905, Conservation courtesy of Stanley N. Gaines [W-202]

On April 22, 1793, George Washington issued a proclamation of neutrality, keeping America from any entanglement with a war raging between Britain and France, which had engulfed a number of European countries.

Within Washington’s cabinet Thomas Jefferson opposed neutrality while Alexander Hamilton championed it. Although Jefferson would not ultimately have his way on the issue, he did see to it that the word “neutrality” be taken out of the document and replaced with “impartial.’ The move had little effect on the proclamation, which proclaimed America’s role in world conflict as neutral and placed legal proceedings against any American who aided either of the warring sides. The Neutrality Act of 1794 would follow in the proclamation’s footsteps.

No, visitors’ eyes aren’t playing tricks on them, the East Lawn IS extra green these days. The center section of the grassy area sometimes succumbs to the 1 million or so people (two million or so feet!) who trample across it each year. As a result, the past week has seen sod cutters removing what was previously there and new sod laid.

Don’t let your toes get too excited yet! The grass will be roped off for the next two weeks, but after that, don’t forget to show up in your best flip-flops.