The Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington

05/20/2024

In 1793, a charming stranger arrived on American shores. His goal? To rally American support for the French cause. As his popularity soared, Washington faced a new crisis that would pit him between two mighty European nations. Learn more in "Inventing the Presidency": https://bit.ly/3V3yrsf

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05/10/2024

Autochrome photograph of the Lower Garden, 1910-1920.

The Autochrome process was the first fully practical single-plate color process to reach the photographic public. An Autochrome is the result of an additive color process and is a unique photograph—a positive transparency on a glass support—with colors composed of minute grains of potato starch dyed orange, green, and blue-violet. Mount Vernon only has three examples in the archives of this unique and short-lived photographic process. Invented by Auguste and Louis Lumière in 1907, the technique was manufactured by them until 1933.

View all three examples here: https://bit.ly/3xjbdVW

05/08/2024

In this exclusive interview, archaeologists Dr. Jason Boroughs and Lily Carhart reveal the latest discoveries uncovered in George Washington’s basement, including the rare find of 18th-century cherries and new documentary evidence about the enslaved community of Mount Vernon:

Since news emerged that rare 18th-century cherries were discovered at Mount Vernon, archaeologists have uncovered more artifacts from George Washington’s basement. …

05/02/2024

Applications open for special travel fellowship to attend or present at an AMERICA2026 conference in Toulouse, France, this November:

04/25/2024

Alice Richards, the MVLA Vice Regent for Maine and later Regent, wrote this memoir the day after an historic visit to Mount Vernon by dignitaries from France and Britain on April 29, 1917. The United States had entered World War I less than a month before. Prominent members of the party included the Commander-in-Chief of French forces Joseph Joffre, British Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour, and French Minister of Justice René Viviani. According to Mrs. Richards’, Balfour stated to superintendent Harrison Dodge that Mount Vernon “impressed him more than anything else” during their U.S. tour.

Learn more about Mount Vernon during WW1 here: https://bit.ly/3PGcah6

04/18/2024

A land-speculation venture, the Dismal Swamp Company was founded in 1763 to drain, tame, and make profitable the Great Dismal Swamp, stretching hundreds of thousands of acres between VA and NC. Learn more at the Digital Encyclopedia of George Washington: https://bit.ly/3J3u35H

03/14/2024

This Mansion floor plan is from a series of measured drawings drawn by staff in the 1930s.

Repairs and maintenance on the Mansion at Mount Vernon have been constant throughout the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association’s 170-year history. To aid in these restoration efforts, a series of measured drawings were created for the Mansion in the 1930s under the supervision of the Director of Research and Restoration, Morley Jeffers Williams.

The documentation created in the current Mansion revitalization efforts will be added to previous work done by staff like Williams to aid future generations of Mount Vernon caretakers.

03/07/2024

This map from the Richard H. Brown Collection uses color to make an argument about British claims to North America in 1755. Take a closer look on ARGO, a multi-institutional map platform: https://bit.ly/4bc3xnT

02/29/2024

Lantern slide image of the upper garden, 1930s:

Lantern slides are transparent photographs made on glass and viewed with the aid of a “magic lantern,” the predecessor of the slide projector. Tints of color are applied to the black-and-white image to create a "color" photo.

01/12/2024

Tune in to at the Gilder Lehrman Institute this Sunday, January 14, at 2pm ET to hear George Washington Prize winner Maurizio Valsania discuss his book, "First Among Men: George Washington and the Myth of American Masculinity."

Register here: https://bit.ly/3vr9oVP

01/11/2024

It is with great pleasure that we announce Heather Soubra as the new Director of the George Washington Leadership Institute. 🎉

With previous service as a faculty member for the Institute and the owner of Wiser Way Coaching, she brings tremendous experience and an incredible skill set as both a practitioner and student of leadership. A very warm welcome to Heather!

Learn more about the leadership institute: https://bit.ly/3GGDmr6

11/11/2023

Join Executive Director Dr. Patrick Spero at Widener University this Sunday, November 12, for a presentation on his book "Frontier Rebels: The Fight for Independence in the American West, 1765-1776."