Your blogger spent the day at Mount Vernon, enjoying one of her favorite house museums (it was for work, she swears!) Since George’s chair has already been featured here, how about another of our Washington-themed artifacts instead?
This unsigned, unattributed, and undated (though most likely 19th century) oil painting of George and Martha Washington was donated to the Historical Society by Mrs. Carl Freeman. With frame, it measures 31″ high and 27″ wide. The donor had the painting restored before donation, and through this work it was suggested that a) it was once a larger portrait, and the artist’s name was cut off along with the ‘excess’ canvas and b) it was originally intended as just a portrait of Martha, with George added in sometime later. I enjoy these kinds of portraits, with the nice check-out-how-awesome-I-am scenic landscape in the background – this theme is often found in 19th century portraits, or perhaps this is a later copy of that style. We submitted this portrait to the Catalog of American Portraiture (National Portrait Gallery), but with only our own minimal information. Anyone with insight on the artist or period, let us (and NPG, I guess) know!
This is, in fact, one of several portraits of the Washingtons in our collections. Why so much love for George at MCHS? Though the County does have some ties to Washington and his family*, our mini GW collection stems in part from the early days of the Society, when we were more inclined to accept donations because it seemed like we should. Just as a one-room schoolhouse looks incomplete without George looming over the blackboard, what self-respecting mid-20th century local historical society doesn’t have a portrait or two of the first President?
*He owned land here, and some of Martha’s descendants moved here. Feel free to comment on this post and chide me on my lack of specificity – I do apologize, but I want to get this post published by the end of the day – plus I’ve been told that the more comments on the blog, the more search engines will put it near the top of a list. So comment away!
September 8, 2010 at 4:20 pm
Martha deserves her own portrait. Look how she supported George all those years besides bringing him all that money so he could enlarge Mt. Vernon. She struggled through the countryside to join him each winter of the Revolution. Plus brought her children and grandchildren for him to enjoy when he couldn’t have any.
November 24, 2013 at 11:58 pm
I’m looking for two portraits: one of George in an oval framed and one of Martha. My parents had silhouettes of these, but moving from my home this past Jan. , my husband with brain cancer, some things were taken to consignment shops, ebay , goodwill, etc. We had to downsize to an elevator condo, one floor, and some things slipped away erroneously due to my state of mind and my focus on my husband who entered hospice the same month as the scheduled move. I kept telling the family to get rid of everything in the basement that was in boxes we hadn’t opened for 10 years after a move to Anne Arundel Co., Maryland.
Now there are things I miss. I have tried the Mount Vernon site, e-Bay, and a few others, but can find no site where purchases can be made of these pretty well know prints.
Any suggestions?
Thanks.
Cheryl
clmmierz2@gmail.com