Chair from George Washington's bedroom at Mount Vernon, 1760s-90s
According to tradition, Washington sat in this armchair shortly before he died in 1799. Much of the furniture and other items from Washington's estate were inherited by Martha Washington's granddaughter, Eleanor Parke Custis Lewis, after Mrs. Washington's death in 1802. In 1878 Congress appropriated funds to purchase the Lewis family's collection of Washington relics. The objects were first displayed at the Patent Office and then transferred to the Smithsonian in 1883.
See also:
Furniture and Furnishings, Presidential Memorabilia
