In 1751, during his one and only voyage off the North American continent, George Washington accompanied his brother Lawrence to Barbados. While there, he picked up a piece of white coral that he held on to as a memento for the rest of his life.
In another Washington-coral encounter, it appears the General gave a red coral necklace to Nelly Custis (Martha Washington’s granddaughter, whom the Washingtons took in as an adopted daughter). Was Washington a fan of this sightly creature from the sea? Hard to say, but it looks like it.
One thing that we can be sure of is that Washington liked to give gifts. Upon returning home from the Revolutionary War in December of 1783, for example, he purchased various “sundries” for his family including a locket, three small pocket books, three thimbles, three sashes, a dress cap, a hat, a handkerchief, children’s books, a whirligig, a fiddle, a gun and some quadrille boxes.
It’s unknown when Washington gave Custis the necklace, which is thought to date from sometime between 1775 and 1800. Made of coral, ribbon and string, the necklace has two strands, one with small beads and another with irregular, tubular pieces of coral.
The necklace is not currently on display, but it and the envelope that contained it, which explains the piece’s early provenance, can be seen above. The message on the envelope reads “Worn by / Nellie Custis / & presented to her / by Gen Washington / Inherited from my Aunt Martha Custis Williams / George L Upshur.”
Assistant Curator Alison Bliss contributed to this report.
Object Spotlight is a regular feature that highlights household belongings used by the Washingtons. Check out Mount Vernon’s eMuseum to explore more Washington belongings.
Gift of Lylee Krech, Kara B. Seymour, Lyttleton B. P. Gould, III and Cyndie Gould, 2010. [2010.012.001/A-B]
