The restoration of George and Martha Washington’s bedchamber has long been a priority for our Preservation and Curatorial teams. The temporary closure of the Mansion’s second floor during the Mansion Revitalization Project created the perfect window to move forward—allowing the team the opportunity to undertake this significant project. Years of research, planning, and investigative work laid the groundwork for this effort.
Preservation
Mansion Revitalization Project
Mount Vernon has embarked on a landmark preservation project to ensure the Mansion's structural integrity for generations to come.
The goal is to return the bedchamber—and the adjoining closets or dressing rooms and the adjacent back hall and stair (seen here)—to an appearance more accurate to the final years of the Washingtons’ lives, based on extensive historical research, physical evidence, and period materials. (Vincent Seng / MVLA)
The Washingtons' Bedchamber
Learn more about the Washingtons' sunny second-story bedchamber.
Discoveries
In just a few months, the transformation has been remarkable. As layers of 20th-century plaster and metal lath were carefully removed, the team discovered that the vast majority of 18th-century wall and ceiling lath still survived. While the team needed to make some lath repairs, the focus was on leaving as much original material in place as possible. They even discovered evidence in the framing of a small fire just above the fireplace.
In addition, the team uncovered compelling evidence from later periods of the room’s history—including fragments of 19th-century ceiling wallpaper in a striking moiré style. This type of wallpaper, which mimics the shimmer and texture of watered silk, was often used in the early 1800s to lend a luxurious, fabric-like quality to walls and ceilings. The discovered fragments, including their decorative rococo border, are now preserved in Mount Vernon’s historic wallpaper collection and offer important insight into how the room evolved after Washington’s time.
Dendrochronology was also undertaken in the spaces. Check the Preservation Facebook page for more information about the dendrochronology results.
Reproduction Wallpaper
At the heart of the restoration is the effort to recreate the room’s 1799 decorative scheme. Informed by both historic documentation and physical analysis of existing wallpaper fragments from the bedchamber, a stunning circa-1794 design has been selected for reproduction.
Originally used in an American home of the same era, this wallpaper closely aligns with what may have adorned the room near the end of Washington’s life. The curatorial team is eagerly looking forward to unveiling this elegant and evocative pattern to the public.
Members of Mount Vernon’s Preservation team carefully remove 20th-century plaster from the walls of the Washingtons' Bedchamber. (MVLA)
Plaster
The labor-intensive physical restoration has advanced steadily. The Preservation team, in collaboration with skilled plasterers and carpenters, has removed deteriorated plaster and metal lath, executed lath and other wood repairs, prepared original and replacement lath for replastering, and completed the first or “scratch” coat of new plaster, which takes several weeks to cure.
During the plastering process, wool produced by Mount Vernon’s livestock was used to fill gaps in the back hall—a fitting use of estate resources that adds an authentic 18th-century touch.
Thanks to careful planning, the Washingtons' Bedchamber is on track to more accurately reflect its late 18th-century appearance, deepening our understanding of how George and Martha Washington lived.
Stay tuned as this exciting restoration continues to unfold.
Plasterer Henry Orton applies the first or "scratch" coat of new plaster to the Washingtons' Bedchamber walls. (MVLA)
Mansion Revitalization Blog
Follow along as we post updates and discoveries from the landmark Mansion Revitalization Project.
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