Seat of George Washington: Mount Vernon

Description

Unknown Artist
United States, 19th century
Seat of George Washington: Mount Vernon
circa 1840
Gouache on paper
Gift of the Daniel and Harriet Fusfeld Folk Art Collection, 2002/1.174
In the first decades of the nineteenth century, formal educational opportunities emerged for the girls of upper-class and middle-class families. These all-female seminaries and academies trained girls in the “polite arts,” which included needlework, painting, drawing, and music. Painting tasks often included the copying of published prints, many of which were imported from England. The original print for this anonymous version of Mount Vernon was a Jukes and Robertson print published in London in 1800 to commemorate the life and career of the recently deceased George Washington.
(Out of the Ordinary, 2010)
After George Washington’s death, his residence, Mount Vernon, became a favored subject for landscape paintings. Mount Vernon combined patriotic sentiments and a romantic landscape, which appealed to artists as well as the public during this time. Paintings of Mount Vernon were frequently based on popular prints and were often done by schoolgirls.
Increasing numbers of girls were trained at female seminaries and academies during the early nineteenth century. They also received training in the "polite arts," which included drawing and painting. Prints depicting references to national heroes (especially George Washington) were popular subjects for these compositions.
Lindsay Meehan
Modern and Contemporary Art Intern
2002