Vintage Interiors II
Sold to a private collector and
donated to Mount Vernon Museum
Mount Vernon Envelope Table
Mahogany
English, circa 1750
H. 28G", W. 45I", D. 23I"
Courtesy of Vintage Interiors II
Crafted in England around 1750, this mahogany “envelope table” would have been used for tea drinking, writing, and gaming. With its triangular top and drop leaf, the mahogany table would most likely have been placed in the corner of a room or against a wall until needed.
Recently acquired by the Mount Vernon Ladies Association, the table was generously donated by Mrs. Elaine Decker Rosensweig. Few examples of English furniture are currently on view in the mansion, and this particular acquisition fills a major void in the collection. Toward the end of Washington’s life at Mount Vernon, newer styles began to fill the first-floor rooms, and less fashionable furniture purchased from Britain in the late 1750s and 1760s was resigned to the second and third floors of the house.
Visitors to Mount Vernon can view the table in the second-floor mansion chamber used by Mrs. Washington’s granddaughter Eleanor Parke Custis, where it will assist with Mount Vernon’s mission to more accurately represent the varied origins of the Washingtons’ furniture purchases. |
