Chinese Lacquered Dressing Glass

Daily life at Mount Vernon

Imported Chinese luxury goods had long been popular in the American colonies. Such goods became more readily available when trade with China opened up after the Revolution. George Washington purchased this lacquered Chinese dressing glass for his wife during his second term as president, probably in 1795 (image courtesy of Mount Vernon Ladies' Association).

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Benjamin Henry Latrobe, The Washington family on the terrace at Mount Vernon

family life

Soon after his arrival in America in 1796, Benjamin Henry Latrobe became friends with Bushrod Washington, nephew of George Washington. At Bushrod’s invitation, Latrobe visited Mount Vernon during his time in Virginia. This watercolor depicts a scene from that visit, with the Washington family sitting at their ease on the east-facing Terrace at Mount Vernon (Courtesy of Louise and Brad Mentzer. Image courtesy of Mount Vernon' Ladies Association).

Benjamin Latrobe

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Edward Savage, West Front of Mount Vernon, c. 1796

This iconic view of the west front of Mount Vernon is the earliest known pictorial representation of the house and grounds. There is a similar painting of the east front. This view is particularly interesting for its portrayal of domesticity. In the foreground George and Martha Washington walk alongside Nelly Custis. Another of Martha’s grandchildren, George Washington Parke Custis, is nearby, standing alongside a pair of hounds. Washington’s slaves and guests also populate the scene (image courtesy of Mount Vernon Ladies' Association).

Edward Savage

1796

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Washington family Bible

In early America, bibles were often used to record important dates and events in a family’s history. The Washington family bible was used for this purpose. An interleaved page records in meticulous handwriting the marriage of Augustine Washington and Mary Ball, parents of George Washington, as well as George’s birth date and baptismal date (image courtesy of Mount Vernon Ladies' Association).

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Book of Common Prayer

religion

Like most members of Virginia’s planter class, the Washingtons were Anglicans. It is not surprising, then, that this copy of the Book of Common Prayer is among the books that were associated with Martha Washington. According to the inscription on the front endpaper, Martha read in the book twice a day from 1789 through her death in 1802 (image courtesy of Mount Vernon Ladies' Association).

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Washington Family Life

This collection of popular songs was well-known both in England and in colonial America. In 1758, Martha Custis ordered the work from Robert Cary, one of her London agents. The collection would have been used for communal singing as part of social or family gatherings at Mount Vernon.  It is inscribed with Martha’s name in the hand of George Washington.

R. Baldwin

1775

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Bathing Gown

Washington Family Life

This bathing gown is a rare example of the survival of a complete garment worn by Martha Washington. The gown, made of blue and white linen with lead weights sown into the hem for modesty, was probably worn by Martha on a 1769 trip to the mineral waters in Berkeley Springs, Virginia. The trip was primarily for the benefit of Martha’s daughter Patsy; it was hoped the waters would help cure her epilepsy (image courtesy of Mount Vernon Ladies' Association).

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St. Peter's Church, New Kent County, Virginia

Early Life of Martha Washington

St. Peter’s Church, established in 1679 in New Kent County, Virginia, was the family church of both the Custises and Dandridges. The fathers of both Martha Dandridge and Daniel Parke Custis were vestrymen at the church, as was Custis himself (image courtesy Mount Vernon Ladies' Association).

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Letter, "A Society of Females" to Martha Washington, February 14, 1800

Death of George Washington

This condolence letter from a 'society of Females' (a group of four young women from Rhode Island) is effusive in its praise of the departed General Washington. The women ask Martha Washington for a lock of her husband’s hair, then in a postscript for a lock of Martha’s hair. Martha was evidently touched by the letter and fulfilled the request, because the young women wrote back several weeks later to thank Martha for her response’s 'invaluable contents' (image courtesy of Mount Vernon Ladies' Association).

Julia Bowen, Mary B. Howell, Sarah Halsey, Abby Chace

1800-02-14

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Samuel Vaughan, Plan of Mount Vernon

Maps

Samuel Vaughan, an Englishman who immigrated to America, visited Mount Vernon in August 1787. In his journal, he described Mount Vernon and made the earliest-known sketch of the grounds. He later mailed George Washington a more detailed and finished plan of the estate (pictured here) based on his earlier sketch. The drawing is an invaluable resource for reconstructing what Mount Vernon looked like in George and Martha Washington’s time (image courtesy of Mount Vernon Ladies' Association).

Samuel Vaughan

1787

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