For more than two centuries, Crane & Co. has been the country's leading maker of fine 100% cotton stationery for social and business correspondence. The Crane watermark remains the most significant mark of uncompromising quality, symbolizing the pride and personal touch of the stationer. Founded in 1801, the company's roots extend to the birth of the nation. It was at Crane's Liberty Mill that paper was made for Paul Revere to engrave colonial currency in 1776. Crane has made the distinctive paper for United States currency since 1879. The company continues to be owned and managed by members of the sixth and seventh generations of the Crane family.
The Crane/Mount Vernon Collection of products will be introduced in March 2009.
Friedman Brothers
Neoclassic Tri-panel Mirror
Friedman Brothers is the oldest and most prestigious manufacturer of handcrafted decorative wall art in the United States. The company has been family owned and operated for over 100 years, spending much of that history perfecting the art of decorative mirrors, sconces, cornices, brackets, consoles, and window treatments. The company was founded by two brothers who emigrated from England in 1903. They brought with them an outstanding talent for old-world elegant design and the skilled crafts of wood carving and finishing, with special emphasis on Old World gold leafing. Friedman Brothers products are found in some of the most prestigious locations around the World, including the halls of The Vatican and The White House.
Mount Vernon and Friedman Brothers have together created a collection of fine, decorative mirrors inspired by those found in the home of George Washington. For more information about Friedman Brothers and to order online, please visit www.friedmanbrosmirrors.com. The mirrors may also be purchased at the Gift Shop at Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens, for more information please visit http://www.mountvernon.org/store/shopping/index.cfm/
Mottahedeh NEW!
4-Piece Prosperity Dinnerware Set
For over 75 years, Mottahedeh has been specializing in the production of hard porcelain, crystal, brass, silver plate, stoneware, faience and lithographs. They have made china for the President, the State Department and for the Diplomatic Corps.
Mottahedeh introduces its newest pattern, Prosperity, which is based on white salt-glazed stoneware shards found at Mount Vernon. The pattern is a modern adaptation of what George Washington called "white stone," a durable tableware that he first began purchasing from England for Mount Vernon in the spring of 1757. Prosperity draws its name for the 1750s, a prosperous and promising period in Washington's life, when the young colonel and bachelor returned to Mount Vernon from the French and Indian War.
This unique dinnerware pattern is available online. Visit www.MountVernon.org and click SHOP/Gifts and Reproductions.
Wildwood Lamps
Tobacco Leaf Lamp
In 1903, Mr. W. A. Bulluck founded a retail company in the small town of Rocky Mount, North Carolina. Bulluck's grandson, Bill Kincheloe, became manager of the company in 1962, adding a special department for lamps and lampshades. He soon started making customized lamps at the request of some of his customers, and by 1970 had created a small line of quality hand crafted lamps. Wildwood Lamp Company was officially born when he began selling to other retailers. Today the Wildwood line includes lamps, chandeliers, decorative accessories, floor and wall screens, mirrors, and furniture. While Wildwood’s designers search the globe for exotic porcelains, lead crystals, and tole ware, each piece is painstakingly sanded, painted, polished, wired, assembled and packaged by hand in North Carolina.
Since 1996, Mount Vernon and Wildwood Lamps have collaborated to create a collection of lamps and accessories based on original artifacts from the collections at Mount Vernon. The line includes over 50 different styles, some of which are available through Mount Vernon’s online Shops. For information on the full line, please visit www.wildwoodlamps.com/mv.html.
