Washington Winter Show 2019

52 52 George Washington purchased this magnificent London-made harpsichord in 1793 for his step-granddaughter Nelly Custis. preeminently as a formal reception space and picture gallery. When the Washingtons entertained high-ranking guests or hosted large parties, it could easily be set up for dining; it also could be cleared for dancing. Its high ceilings and two exterior doors provided much-needed cross-ventilation for entertaining during the summer months. In the closing weeks of his presidency, Washington ordered new chairs in the fashionable Federal style for the New Room from Philadelphia cabinetmaker John Aitken. He also commissioned two matching sideboards—at the time a relatively new furniture form prized for both display and storage. For dining, however, he and Martha continued to use a pair of square mahogany tables ordered from London back in 1757, during his bachelor days. Harpsichord Music played an important role in entertaining at Mount Vernon. In 1793, George Washington acquired from a London dealer a large harpsichord for his step-granddaughter, fourteen-year-old Eleanor (Nelly) Parke Custis, whom he and Martha raised as their own. It was shipped to Philadelphia and then, in 1797, to Mount Vernon, where it stood in the “Common Parlour” (now called the Little Parlor). Nelly had previously played a square piano, taking lessons from the celebrated composer and performer Alexander Reinagle, and she was regularly called upon to entertain family, friends, and guests at the keyboard. The visiting Julian Niemcewicz was charmed by her performance, declaring that “she plays the piano, she sings and designs better than the usual woman of America, or even Europe.” Of the several musical instruments that graced Mount Vernon over the years, none was as memorable as this imposing double-manual harpsichord. Its mahogany- veneered case, featuring charming floral inlays above the keyboards, contains a complex and sophisticated mechanism that, extraordinarily, survives in intact condition. Produced at a time when pianos were gaining popularity, this top-of- the-line instrument represents the culmination of harpsichord technology, accommodating changing musical tastes by allowing the player to modulate the volume. In 1859, Nelly’s harpsichord became the first original object to be returned to Mount Vernon, a gift from her daughter-in-law, Esther M. Lewis. As part of Mount Vernon’s ongoing commitment to preservation and scholarship, it has been carefully reproduced over the past two years by former Colonial Williamsburg curator and conservator of keyboard instruments John Watson. Visitors will thus have an opportunity to hear—for the first time in two centuries—harpsichord music as the Washingtons and their guests knew it.