Top Ten Objects in Mount Vernon’s Collection

Made in America or England, ca. 1775
Beech, iron, brass
Gift of Birdie Washington in memory of Mrs. N.D.B. Washington, 1921 [W-473]
Conservation courtesy of the Life Guard Society of Mount Vernon and the Guild of Professional Tour Guides of Washington D. C.

George Washington's campaign furniture, like that of his English officer counterparts, provided some of the comforts of home while in the field of war, and also attested to his rank and distinction. In October 1775, shortly after assuming command of the Continental Army, he acquired "a Field Bedstead & Curtains, Mattresses, Blankets etc. etc." Designed for portability and durability, this bedstead's tapering posts, turned legs, and rails are ingeniously hinged so it can be folded into a compact bundle for easy transport. The headboard, tester, lathe, and one leg are later replacements.

Worked by Martha Washington
Mount Vernon, Virginia, or Philadelphia, 1765–1802
Wool, silk, linen
Purchase, 1960 [W-2173]

In 1766, Martha Washington acquired from London upholsterer Philip Bell the materials needed to create "one dozn. Chair bottoms." Over the next thirty-six years, she carefully cross-stitched a scallop-shell design that she herself possibly created. While she may have intended for the canvases to upholster slip seats, they were ultimately fabricated into cushions that were likely placed on Windsor chairs in the Little Parlor at Mount Vernon. This cushion is one of six in Mount Vernon's collection. Its yellow worsted wool casing and portions of the multicolor, hand-knotted fringe and woven silk tape remain intact, making it a rare documented example of Martha Washington's needlework and original upholstery at Mount Vernon.

Made in Paris, 1370–1789
Iron
Transferred to the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association through the generosity of John Augustine Washington III, 1860 [W-14/A]

"Give me leave, my dear General to present you with a picture of the Bastille, just as it looked a few days after I had ordered its demolition—with the main key of the fortress of despotism. It is a tribute, which I owe, as a son to my adoptive father, as an Aide-de-Camp to my General, as a Missionary of liberty to its Patriarch."
- Marquis de Lafayette to George Washington, March 17, 1790

The storming of the Bastille by a Parisian mob on July 14, 1789, marked the beginning of the French Revolution. As commander of the Paris National Guard in 1789, the Marquis de Lafayette received the keys to the loathsome political prison, a symbol of absolute monarchy. In 1790, he sent this key and a drawing of the prison in ruins to George Washington, his former commander, who was in New York City, serving his first term as America's first president. Washington prominently displayed the key as a "token of victory by Liberty over Despotism," installing it in a custom-made, carved and gilded case in his Philadelphia executive residence and then in the central passage at Mount Vernon, where the key and case remain to this day.

Made in America, 1790–1799
Human, cow, and horse teeth; elephant ivory; lead, silver, possibly brass
Purchase, 1949 [W-1520/A-B]

George Washington experienced problems with his teeth throughout his adult life. Although he regularly used dental powders and a toothbrush similar to our own, his tooth loss persisted. By the time he took the oath of office as president at age 57, he had only one natural tooth remaining and owned multiple sets of dentures. Contrary to popular myth, his false teeth were not made of wood but of human, cow, and horse teeth as well as elephant and walrus ivory. The dentures required frequent adjusting to function naturally, and he repeatedly sent them to John Greenwood, his dentist in New York City, for repairs. For a person as conscious of his appearance as Washington, his dental dilemma caused great discomfort.

Drawn by Benjamin Henry Latrobe, 1796
Watercolor, ink, graphite, paper
Purchased with funds provided in part by an anonymous donor, 2013 [W-5307]

British-trained architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe painted this charming scene of the Washingtons at ease on the piazza at Mount Vernon following his visit there in 1796. George and Martha Washington are shown seated at a tea table bearing a large hot water urn. They are accompanied by granddaughter Eleanor (Nelly) Parke Custis, wearing a fashionable Grecian gown, and an unidentified young man with a spyglass who may be Latrobe himself. Nelly's dog, Frisk, plays on the lawn with a child, possibly belonging to Washington's aide, Tobias Lear. There are many romanticized depictions of the Washingtons at Mount Vernon, but only two were created during George Washington's lifetime and only Latrobe's appears to have been drawn from life (Latrobe's signature on this piece is accompanied by the phrase "nat. del.," meaning drawn from nature).