The Washington Collection at Tudor Place
Copyright © Fall 2016 White House Historical Association. All rights reserved under international copyright conventions. No part of this article may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Requests for reprint permissions should be addressed to books@whha.org
Gallery
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This letter written by future president George Washington is part of the Tudor Place collection. In it, he addresses being given command of the Continental Army.
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Page two of a letter written by future president George Washington is part of the Tudor Place collection. In it, he addresses being given command of the Continental Army.
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This rare invitation to dine with President George Washington and First Lady Martha Washington is part of the collection at Tudor Place.
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George Washington wrote this letter to Thomas Peter regarding a tobacco sale. Peter acted as Washington's agent of sale for the crop grown at Mount Vernon.
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In this December 27, 1799, letter to Martha Washington, President John Adams expressed the respect and condolences of Congress upon the death of her husband and asked her to assent to the interment of his remains under a marble statue erected in the Capitol. (page 1)
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In this December 27, 1799, letter to Martha Washington, President John Adams expressed the respect and condolences of Congress upon the death of her husband and asked her to assent to the interment of his remains under a marble statue erected in the Capitol. (page 2)
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First Lady Martha Washington, in the hand of Tobias Lear, Washington's secretary, wrote this letter in response to one from John Adams dated December 27, 1799. In it, she accepts his and Congress' condolences for the death of President George Washington, and she gives her permission to have his remains buried in the new Capitol. Only the first page was photographed.
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This act, conveyed to Martha Washington by President John Adams on April 3, 1800, granted her the privilege of franking letters and packages. This allowed her to send mail free of postage.
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These walnut side chairs are part of the collection at Tudor Place and purportedly belonged to George Washington while he lived in Philadelphia.
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This tabouret stool is believed to be the sole survivor of a pair that President George Washington commissioned in Philadelphia in 1793 to complete a suite of Parisian furniture he purchased in New York from French minister Elénor-François-Elie, Comte de Moustier.
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This camp stool is one of two surviving stools of the 18 purchased by George Washington in May 1776 from Philadelphia upholsterer Plunket Fleeson. Thomas and Martha Peter purchased six of these stools at an 1802 estate sale.
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George Washington purchased these wall brackets from English immigrant carver and gilder James B. Reynolds on May 16, 1791. The underside of each shelf is carved to mimic a scalloped shell supported by a spine of rococo curves and rosettes. Thomas and Martha Peter purchased them from an 1802 estate sale.
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Martha Washington cross-stitched twelve worsted wool needlepoint cushions for a set of Windsor chairs at Mount Vernon. This cushion was a gift to Martha Peter, probably one of four she received prior to her grandmother's death.
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This miniature portrait of President George Washington was done from life by Irish immigrant Walter Robertson, and was given as a wedding gift to Martha Parke Custis prior to her marriage to Thomas Peter.
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The back of the miniature portrait of President George Washington done by Robertson is decorated with a braided lock of hair, 44 prong-set pearls, and blue enamel.
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Samuel Fraunces created this tableau, depicting Hector departing for the Trojan War flanked by his wife, Andromache, and a nursemaid holding their son, for Martha Washington. It was made to commemorate the sacrifices Mrs. Washington made for the new republic.
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English artist Thomas Cheesman engraved this portrait of General George Washington from American artist John Trumbull's oil on canvas painting General George Washington at Trenton, which was painted in 1792. First Lady Martha Washington bequeathed it to Martha Peter.
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Martha Washington's banyan, a gown worn over finer clothes to protect them from soiling, dates from the 1780s to early 1790s. Mrs. Washington gave the banyan to her granddaughter Martha Peter.
Tudor Place Foundation Inc. -
Originally owned by Martha Washington, this redingote (riding jacket or riding habit) was acquired by Martha Peter, possibly as a gift or as part of a larger lot from the 1802 estate sale.
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Martha Peter gifted this circular gold locket to her friend Eliza Quincy, wife of Congressman and leading Federalist Josiah Quincy, upon the anniversary of George Washington's birthday, February 22, 1810. The locket contains locks of George and Martha Washington's hair. Pictured above is the side that contains a lock of George Washington's brown hair.
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Martha Peter gifted this circular gold locket to her friend Eliza Quincy, wife of Congressman and leading Federalist Josiah Quincy, upon the anniversary of George Washington's birthday, February 22, 1810. The locket contains locks of George and Martha Washington's hair. Pictured above is the side that contains a lock of Martha Washington's blond hair.
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George and Martha Washington owned this silver-plated cruet set and it was used to serve and display various condiments.
Tudor Place Foundation Inc. -
The Niderviller porcelain factory's proprietor, Adam Philippe (or Philibert), Comte de Custine-Sarreck (1740-1793), presented this French porcelain tea and coffee service to Martha Washington at Mount Vernon on July 20, 1782.
Tudor Place Foundation Inc. -
George and Martha Washington owned this decanter, delicately cut with sunbursts, swags and floral bouquets.
Tudor Place Foundation Inc. -
This wine glass and rummer belonged to a much larger glassware set owned by George and Martha Washington. These glasses are replete with a constellation of tiny cut stars and supported by faceted stems.
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The Washington Collection is comprised of manuscripts and more than two hundred objects, making Tudor Place one of the largest public repositories of items owned by Martha and George Washington. Of particular note is a letter written from Philadelphia on June 18, 1775, by George Washington to Martha Washington at Mount Vernon upon his assuming command of the Continental Army. This significant letter is one of three existing letters sent by George Washington to his wife; all other personal correspondence was burned by Martha Washington.
Among the Washington Collection manuscripts held in the Tudor Place Archive are four condolence letters written to Martha Washington after the death of George Washington. These include letters from John Adams; replies to condolence letters from Martha Washington in the hand of Tobias Lear, Washington’s secretary; twenty-seven documents relating to the settlement of Martha Washington’s estate, including bills and receipts; and correspondence between George Washington and Thomas Peter.
The objects in the Washington Collection were used by George and Martha Washington throughout the eighteenth century at their various residences, including the president’s residences in New York, Philadelphia, and the couple’s beloved Mount Vernon. Martha Parke Custis Peter, the second oldest granddaughter of Martha Washington, acquired personal accessories, furnishings, and memorabilia directly from her grandmother and step-grandfather. The majority of objects in the collection were purchased by Martha and Thomas Peter at the July 20, 1802, estate sale following Martha Washington’s death on May 22. The Peters spent more than $750 at the sale—a significant sum considering the average daily wage was $1 a day in early Washington, D.C. The large collection remained intact at Tudor Place until their daughter Britannia Wellington Peter Kennon’s death in 1911, when it was divided among her five grandchildren. Today the Washington Collection includes objects from this division that became the property of the third owner of Tudor Place, Armistead Peter, Jr.; objects inherited and later donated by his siblings and their heirs; and objects that came into the collection through marriage.
All manuscripts and objects are from the bequest of Armistead Peter, 3rd, unless otherwise noted.
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