Mount Vernon in Miniature

 

A fitting tribute to Washington's vision, this extraordinary miniature represents the Mansion as it looked in 1799, the year of his death. Mount Vernon in Miniature was created over a period of five years by a group of talented and patriotic miniaturists, based in Washington State, as a special gift to the nation. They took their direction from an extensive 1799 room-by-room inventory and worked with scores of modern artisans and craftsmen from around the world, many of whom donated their services.

Valued at more than a half-million dollars, Mount Vernon in Miniature measures ten feet long, more than eight feet high, and approximately six feet wide.  It duplicates the original building at a scale of one inch to one foot, in working order down to the last detail. The miniature includes state-of-the-art mechanical features which raise and lower two of the facades and the roof, enabling visitors to see inside each and every room—even those on the Mansion's third floor, rarely open to the public. Weighing more than 1,400 pounds, it is one of the heaviest and most complex miniatures ever made, and took over 4,500 hours to create. Virtually every aspect of the mini-Mansion is in working order: door knobs on the eight exterior and 36 interior doors turn, the latches latch, the 58 windows open and close, the candles and 13 fireplaces come to life, the door knocker knocks, and the drawers of the furniture open. Every feature from the rusticated siding to the handsome carved mantels is true to Washington's original designs.

West front of the Miniature

Each of the 22 rooms, painted to match the colors on the original Mansion walls, is authentically presented with copies of the stylish furnishings that Washington acquired in America and from France, England, and China. There are 125 seating forms in the miniature:  one sofa, 11 beds, 20 ladderback chairs,  24 Aitken chairs, 19 Windsor chairs on the Piazza, several Federal and Chippendale-style chairs,  one fan chair, one easy chair, and one Louis XVI chair.

George Washington and Mount Vernon

East front of the Mansion, photograph by Robert C. Lautman

Mount Vernon, located just outside Washington, D.C., on the banks of the Potomac River, was George Washington’s beloved home for more than 40 years. From the time he led the Continental Army to victory, through his leadership of the Constitutional Convention and as our nation’s first President, Washington was the most powerful and famous man in America. A self-taught architect, Washington lavished attention on his home. After taking up residence at Mount Vernon in 1754, he enlarged the Mansion several times, raising it to two-and-one-half stories, adding two wings, selecting nearly all the furnishings and wall colors, and building the innovative piazza overlooking the river—one of the most imitated architectural features in America. Mount Vernon became one of the most important and visited houses in this country. In 1798 alone, Washington and his wife Martha hosted 677 overnight guests, leading him to refer to his home as a “well-resorted tavern.” Washington’s descendants continued to live here until 1858, when the 8,000-acre estate was purchased by the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association.  Since that date, this private, not-for-profit organization has maintained and operated Mount Vernon for the benefit of admirers of George Washington the world over.

The Large Dining Room

Large Dining Room, photo by Steve Cox

The last addition to the house, this room remained unfinished until after the Revolutionary War while Washington sought a craftsman who could execute the ceiling and woodwork decoration to his specifications. The Washingtons could entertain large numbers of guests in this elegant, two-story room, graced with a Palladian window, fireplace mantel of Italian marble, and 24 Federal-style side chairs made by John Aitken. Special lighting in this two-story room reveals the detailed ceiling ornamentation of the miniature. Agricultural elements in the designs reflected Washington's feeling that he was first and foremost a farmer. Tiny porcelain figurines adorn the mantel and sideboards—just as they did two centuries ago.

The Blue Bedroom

There are five bed chambers on the second floor, in addition to the Washingtons' quarters including the Blue Bedroom which was used by visitors. Mrs. Washington also kept low post beds in the third floor garret which servants brought down to accommodate guests.  The Blue Bedroom includes a low post bed - able to be quickly assembled for the comfort of unexpected guests. The handpainted miniature lacquer dressing case closely resembles what Washington acquired from China for his wife Martha.

The West Parlor

Miniature tea table in West Parlor

The Washingtons frequently took tea in this room and enjoyed reading newspapers here at the end of the day. Before the Large Dining Room was added, Washington considered this the best place in my House, and important family portraits hung here. The paneled interior is painted with fashionable and costly Prussian blue pigment.

The miniature family portraits of George and Martha Washington and her two children are all hand-painted.

Nelly Custis Room

The Nelly Custis room is named for Martha Washington's youngest granddaughter, who was a member of the Mount Vernon household from childhood. On General Washington's last birthday, she married his nephew,

Lawrence Lewis, at Mount Vernon.  The miniature crib is a replica of a baby's bed used by Nelly's first child, Frances Parke, and was a gift from Martha Washington. The theorem painting of a fruit bowl over the mantel recalls Nelly's artistic touch.

Small Dining Room

Small Dining Room

This elegant room, with its elaborately carved mantel and plaster ceiling, served the Washington family. The miniature art replicates engravings of Benjamin Franklin and the Marquis de Lafayette. The table is furnished with 51 tiny pieces of silverware, including five nutpicks with ivory handles. Note the rug, done in 1/12th scale, which took one artisan more than 500 hours to needlepoint, squeezing 24 stitches into a single inch to duplicate its intricate ingrain design. Washington found the room's color, a bright green, grateful to the eye and less likely to fade. 

The Washingtons’ Bedroom 

This room is on the second floor, above the study, linked by a private stairway. Martha Washington used this room as her headquarters as she oversaw the operation of the household's activities. She played a large role in decorating this room, with its plain, whitewashed walls and paintings of her four grandchildren. She had the large bed made in Philadelphia for her tall husband, and it was here that George Washington died on December 14, 1799. After his death, she closed this room and moved to a small room in the third floor garret. The textured pattern of the bed hangings is carefully reproduced from cotton dimity fabric on the Washingtons' bedstead. A handsome English double chest of drawers features prominently in this room, as it did two hundred years ago.

The Study

Study

Part of the south addition, this was the headquarters from which General Washington managed his estate and, after the Revolutionary War, penned the letters that moved the new nation toward establishing a federal government. It also was his personal retreat, where before sunrise he prepared for the day's activities and in the evening he could retire from his ever-present guests. Like the original, the miniature includes busts of George Washington and John Paul Jones, his chair from the presidency (which swivels just like the real one), and his globe. Note the miniature nameplate on the trunk in this room which has George Washington's full signature etched in it and is smaller than 1/8 of an inch. The miniature terrestrial globe spins to show the infant United States, and small books fill the shelves of the built-in book press. Washington had a library of nearly 900 volumes on politics, farming, literature, and architecture. George Washington first saw a fan chair in Philadelphia in 1787 during the Constitutional Convention and was so impressed with its design, he ordered his own.

Mount Vernon in Miniature
was made possible through the generous support of:

Mr. Stan Ohman
Mrs. George Ward
 

with the additional generous sponsorship of: