AFA Summer 2020

2020 Antiques & Fine Art 61 expensive, and refined seating furniture. While the Washingtons never installed blue verditer wallpaper, after the war, to accord with the furniture (Fig. 9), they the paneling painted a soft cream, and replaced the undecorated ceiling with neoclassical ornament (Fig. 10). The parlor then became the formal entrance to the “New Room” beyond, the two united by the plaster ornament (Fig. 11). Today, as a result of a stroke of luck and a five-year restoration campaign, the room looks as close as it can to the way it did during George and Martha Washington’s lives. Although Mount Vernon is the most studied house in the United States, this project reveals that there is always more to discover.  For information on George Washington’s Mount Vernon and when the restored room and furnishings may be seen, visit: www.mountvernon.org/the-estate-gardens/the-mansion/front-parlor/. Adam T. Erby is curator of fine and decorative arts at George Washington’s Mount Vernon, Mount Vernon, Virginia. Fig. 11: New Room. The front parlor served as the formal entrance to the New Room. Courtesy, Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association. Photo, Gavin Ashworth. Fig. 10: Front parlor ceiling, 1787. George Washington updated the ceiling with neoclassical ornament to unite the space visually with the New Room. Courtesy, Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association. Photo, Gavin Ashworth.