First in the Homes of His Countrymen: George Washington's Mount Vernon in the American Imagination by Brandt Lydia Mattice

Author:Brandt, Lydia Mattice [Brandt, Lydia Mattice]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: University of Virginia Press
Published: 2016-11-30T16:00:00+00:00

Fig. 39. Illustration of the evolution of Mount Vernon, 1938.

Fig. 40. West parlor, Mount Vernon, Frances Benjamin Johnston (photographer), 1937, in American Architect and Architecture (February 1938).

Although Williams understood why the Association wanted to publish his findings immediately, he worried that the organization was “becoming sadly publicity conscious.” 126 He wished to focus on applying his findings to new interpretations of the site rather than writing or overseeing publications. He reminded the vice regents that their greatest publicity and educational tool was the restored mansion and landscape.

Prompted by Williams and Superintendent Wall, the MVLA did make its most aggressive physical alterations to the mansion to date in the 1930s. Williams, the board, and Wall continued to carefully orchestrate articles in major newspapers and magazines, creating opportunities for the public to see the “new” Mount Vernon and to learn about how the board made preservation and interpretation decisions. 127 The MVLA’s research and publicity fought the replicas of Mount Vernon hand in hand.

The Association made a significant departure from its 1870s decision to reconstruct the small porch on the south side when it removed the feature in 1931. 128 Following its demolition, Dodge directed his staff to match the porch’s former door opening to the windows on the second floor and the newly constructed cellar entrance to that on the north side. 129 Even more dramatic (and even traumatic) was the removal of the chinoiserie balustrade atop the iconic piazza in 1936. With the railing missing from all of the early depictions of the mansion, it had long been evident that the railing was not on the house during Washington’s time. 130 Morley Jeffers Williams further argued that Washington would never have designed “a piece of applied decoration” with so little logical connection to the building. 131 The decision to remove the balustrade was a difficult one: the Mansion Committee reported on the momentous event: “Many of us have great feeling for this railing, but we must not let sentiment alone govern us in so serious a matter.” 132 While the vice regents ultimately were unanimous in their recognition that the feature was added after Washington’s death, Dodge protested the removal of the balustrade and regarded the decision as a mistake. 133 The board might have been willing to put its “sentiment” aside for authenticity, but Dodge would not accept the conclusions of Williams or other professionals. He believed the feature too essential to Mount Vernon’s architectural history to throw away.

Thanks to new discoveries and the departure of many items to the new museum, the MVLA also made significant changes to the interior of the mansion to attempt greater accuracy in this period. The board returned to the inventory, using it to purge the house of anachronistic items. 134 As with the decisions to change the railing and to remove the south porch, the vice regents did not hesitate to make measurable changes when clear evidence was available. They sought out expertise in areas not represented by their staff in the

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