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Join curator Rob DeHart at the National Gallery of Art and discover the story behind the very recognizable The Washington Family painting.
Join curator Rob DeHart at the National Gallery of Art and discover the story behind the very recognizable The Washington Family painting and its significance to Tudor Place. George and Martha Washington posed for Savage (the painter) in New York City, then the country’s capital. But the painting is set at the family’s Virginia plantation, Mount Vernon. The Potomac River fills the background. A map on the table refers to plans to move the capital to Washington, DC. The Black man standing to the right may be one of George Washington’s enslaved attendants, Christopher Sheels. He was one of the 317 people the Washington’s enslaved at Mount Vernon. To learn more, click here.
Tudor Place was the home of Martha Custis Peter—granddaughter of Martha Washington and step-granddaughter to George Washington. This gallery talk is part of the America 250 at Tudor Place featuring the exhibition experience, "Founding Fortunes: The Estate Sale of Martha Washington," on view beginning February 10.
