Open 365 days a year, Mount Vernon is located just 15 miles south of Washington DC.
From the mansion to lush gardens and grounds, intriguing museum galleries, immersive programs, and the distillery and gristmill. Spend the day with us!
Discover what made Washington "first in war, first in peace and first in the hearts of his countrymen".
The Mount Vernon Ladies Association has been maintaining the Mount Vernon Estate since they acquired it from the Washington family in 1858.
Need help with homework? Our Digital Encyclopedia has all of the answers students and teachers need.
The Washington Library is open to all researchers and scholars, by appointment only.
With the onset of the neoclassical style, Martha Washington updated her jewelry as well as her clothing. Small seed pearls, imported from China and India to be strung on horsehair or silk and fashioned into elegant earrings, bracelets, necklaces, and hair ornaments, were widely popular in federal America…
The artist who decorated this saucer based his view of Washington’s home, Mount Vernon, on a painting produced by Edward Savage c. 1787-1792. Several versions of this design and five different border patterns have been identified on surviving porcelains, suggesting that quite a few Americans chose…
Properly serving tea and coffee in the 18th century required specialized equipment. At George Washington's request, New York merchant Daniel Parker ordered plated tea and coffee wares from England for him in 1783. The shipment included a tea (or hot-water) urn, matching coffeepot, two teapots, two waiters…
In colonial Virginia, the baptism of a child was a celebratory rite of passage that mingled elements of both the sacred and secular. The gentry class frequently preferred to hold these events at home, hosting dining and dancing following the ceremony. This Chinese export porcelain bowl has a history…
The artist who decorated this saucer based his view of Washington’s home, Mount Vernon, on a painting produced by Edward Savage c. 1787-1792. Several versions of this design and five different border patterns have been identified on surviving porcelains, suggesting that quite a few Americans chose…
Pounce boxes are containers with perforated heads used to hold and discharge a fine powder made of sand or pounce (pulverized gum sandarac). When shaken onto freshly written documents, the powder stops the ink from running. Pounce boxes were considered essential elements of writing equipage in the eighteenth…
As president, George Washington desired tablewares that would strike a stylistic balance between appearing too regal and not being sufficiently dignified enough to impress foreign dignitaries. In March 1790, he purchased a 309-piece service from the departing French minister, the Comte de Moustier. Moustier…
This diminutive ladle was used to serve cream or sugar in coffee or tea. It arrived at Mount Vernon in late 1784 with other English plated tea and coffee wares George Washington had requested. Each piece was engraved with his crest. Guests to Mount Vernon took notice of these fashionable Neoclassical…
The smooth surfaces of unglazed biscuit porcelain mimic the purity of classical sculpture and made it a fashionable choice for table ornaments in the second half of the eighteenth century. When set atop glittering, mirrored plateaux amid flowers and candelabra, such figures created a fantastic, mythical…
While her husband was president, Martha Washington understood her role as a national figure and the meaning conveyed by her personal appearance. This seed pearl pin was likely one of the "pearl pins and earrings for Mrs. Washington" purchased from New York jeweler Mr. M. Roberts on December 5, 1789.…
In 1790, Charles Hector, Comte d'Estaing, commander of the first French fleet to assist the Americans during the Revolution, honored George Washington with this bust of Jacques Necker. Necker's accomplishments as France's finance minister from 1777-1781 earned him a reputation as a financial wizard…
As president, George Washington desired tablewares that would strike a stylistic balance between appearing too regal and not being sufficiently dignified enough to impress foreign dignitaries. In March 1790, he purchased a 309-piece service from the departing French minister, the Comte de Moustier. Moustier…
George Washington's accounts from 1758 onwards record numerous purchases of coffee as well as the equipage needed to prepare the imported beverage and the vessels required to serve and drink it in style. He paid £37.17.6 for this "Silvr Coffee Pot" engraved with his coat of arms just days before resigning…
As president, George Washington desired tablewares that would strike a stylistic balance between appearing too regal and not being sufficiently dignified enough to impress foreign dignitaries. In March 1790, he purchased a 309-piece service from the departing French minister, the Comte de Moustier. Moustier…
In his diary on June 1, 1772, George Washington described Virginia summers as "very hot & Sultry." To offset the extreme temperatures, gentlemen like Washington wore suits made of light weight and breathable white cotton. Washington would have likely worn this cotton waistcoat with matching breeches…
As president, George Washington desired tablewares that would strike a stylistic balance between appearing too regal and not being sufficiently dignified enough to impress foreign dignitaries. In March 1790, he purchased a 309-piece service from the departing French minister, the Comte de Moustier. Moustier…
As president, George Washington desired tablewares that would strike a stylistic balance between appearing too regal and not being sufficiently dignified enough to impress foreign dignitaries. In March 1790, he purchased a 309-piece service from the departing French minister, the Comte de Moustier. Moustier…
The smooth surfaces of unglazed biscuit porcelain mimic the purity of classical sculpture and made it a fashionable choice for table ornaments in the second half of the eighteenth century. When set atop glittering, mirrored plateaux amid flowers and candelabra, such figures created a fantastic, mythical…
