A Print of the Washington Family

Object: Mezzotint
Accession #: 1984.0076

According to one historian, “a mezzotint is a distinctive tonal print made using a copper plate that is worked or ‘grounded’ using a semi-circular fine-toothed hand tool known as a ‘rocker’ so that the entire surface is roughened by tiny pits.”  The plate can then be covered with ink before being pressed against paper to produce a print.  According to the dictionary, a mezzotint is the method referred to as well as the print produced from such a plate. 

This mezzotint, one of two in Wilton's collection, was made from an engraving by John Sartain in 1840 which he based on a painting by Edward Savage completed in “Philadelphia in the year 1796."  Under the proper right corner of the print is: “Painted by Edward Savage," in the center “Published by Wm. Smith 3rd St. Philadelphia,” and under the proper left corner of the print: “Engraved by J. Sartain.” Underneath the print are the names of those depicted in painting, from the viewer’s left to right: George Washington Parke Custis, General George Washington, Eleanor Parke Custis, Martha Washington, and William Lee. The print depicts Washington as he sits at a table with his right arm resting on the shoulder of George Washington Parke Custis, who stands behind him. Across the table, on which is a map, sits Mrs. Washington pointing a folded fan to part of the map. Standing to her right is Eleanor Parke Custis. Standing behind Mrs. Washington is “Billy Lee, who was Washington’s body servant throughout the war” and “in the background is the noble aspect of the Potomac River as seen from Mt. Vernon.”   The mezzotint is lacking in a detailed view of the Potomac River, as is the case with the print from which it was produced.

Not much is known about the early career of Edward Savage. By 1785, he was painting in Boston and several years later worked in New York. He traveled to London in 1791 where he published copies of his engravings and portraits including one of George Washington. One historian explains that Savage, “was not a gifted artist, nor was he, so far as one may judge, an agreeable man” and that other artists “had nothing good to say of him or of his abilities.”  However, this same historian goes on to say that “he gave us an image that has been part of our national memory for two hundred years.” 

John Sartain was born in London in 1808 and began as an apprentice to John Swaine in 1823, from whom he learned heraldry and letter engraving.  In 1830, after marrying John Swaine’s daughter he moved to Philadelphia, Pennslvania.  From there, he produced engravings for Graham’s Magazine in 1841.  Eight years later, Sartain started publishing his own magazine, Sartain’s Union Magazine of Literature and Art.  Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Edgar Alan Poe were among some of its notable contributors. 

Savage had been commissioned by Harvard College to paint a portrait of Washington from life while the president was in New York and in the winter of 1789-90 he painted George and Martha Washington.  Savage’s grandson, “supposes that he [Savage] used these portraits of George and Martha Washington for the family group [painting].”  The engraving of the Washington family was done by Sartain from a lithograph of the work by Savage and not from the actual painting.  Details in Savage’s work are not included in Sartain’s engraving, which a journalist for the New York Times, writing in 1892 about the works by the two, states, “prove that Sartain must have worked without the aid of painting or engraving.” 

Original painting by Edward Savage

George Washington had become a national icon following the American Revolution.  After he was elected president, Washington’s face became “a recognized symbol of victory and liberty.”  According to the last will and testament of William Randolph IV, of Wilton, a "print of the Washington family" is listed under the inventory.  The Randolphs may have purchased a print containing Washington to show their admiration for the then deceased president who had once visited their home. 

Bibliography

Frank, Robin Jaffee. Love and Loss: American Portrait and Mourning Miniatures. Yale

University Press. New Haven, 2000.

Richardson, Edgar P. American Paintings and Related Pictures in the Henry Francis Dupont

Museum. University Press of VA. Charlottsville, 1986.

“Washington and his Family”. New York Times Online Archives. December 30, 1892. 24

August 2012. <http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=F40910FB345515738DDDA90B94DA415B8285F0D3>

“Overview of Collection”. The Winterthur Library. 24 August 2012

<http://findingaid.winterthur.org/html/HTML_Finding_Aids/COL0398.htm>

“Mezzotint”. Dictionary.com. 24 August 2012.

<http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/mezzotint>

“The Mezzotint”. Warnock Fine Arts. 24 August 2012.

<http://warnockfinearts.com/MezzotintProcess.htm>

“The Early Mezzotint” The National Gallery. 24 August 2012.

<http://www.npg.org.uk/research/programmes/early-history-of-mezzotint/the-early-

mezzotint.php>

To The Greatest Perfection

Object:  Flute
Accession #: 2005.56

Thomas Stanesby Jr. learned the trade of making musical instruments at his father's workshop. This is where Stanesby Jr.’s career took off and led to him becoming an independent maker of all types of woodwinds: recorders, flutes, oboes, and bassoons. Contra-bassoons were made by him for use in the London performance of Handel’s Water Music. Stanesby inherited a seal ring and his father’s tools in 1734 and continued to be active in the industry until his death in 1754. His trade card boasted:

“Stanesby Jun. In the Temple Exchange Fleet Street, London. Makes to the greatest Perfection, all sorts of musical instruments. In Ivory or fine wood; Plain, after a very neat manner or curiously Adorn 'd with Gold, Silver, Ivory &c. Necessary to preserve them; approv'd and recommended by the best masters in Europe. Sold as above and no where else."

That his musical instruments were made “to the greatest perfection” is attested by this late eighteenth century Baroque flute done by Stanesby which can be found in the collection at Wilton. It is made of wood and has ivory rings along with metal keys. It is marked “Stanesby, Jr.” and was determined to be an authentic eighteenth-century flute by Weschler and Sons, Inc. of Washington, D.C. The Randolph family entertained guests in their parlor with music as well as in the lower passageway. The musicians might have played their instruments, one of which could have easily been a flute, on the landing of the stairs as the Randolph family and their guests danced the night away down below.

                                     La Barre and Other Musicians, c. 1710, André Bouys

The flute is the oldest woodwind instrument and dates back to the 9^th century B.C. Most historians agree that the instrument originated in Central Asia. Baroque flutes of the 1600s were originally built in 3 sections, had seven tone holes plus a key hole for the little finger.  Its shape has changed based on its air column’s shape.  One historian explains that the “bore [air column] of the baroque flute was modified to a slightly tapered conical shape with the large radius at the embouchure hole [mouth piece] and the smaller radius at the bell end.”  During the 18th century, the flute experienced even more modifications. One historian describes instruments during this time as being “often highly ornamental, sophisticated craftsmanship being applied to the thickenings left in wood or ivory to strengthen the sockets.”  Improvement of the flute was being strived for during the eighteenth century because it was not producing tones correctly.

However, the weaknesses of the flute did not affect its popularity during the eighteenth century. As one historian stresses, “some of the forked sounds were dull and out of tune seems to have been philosophically accepted as a natural weakness of the instrument which it was the player’s duty to conceal by skilful manipulation.” Perhaps the flautists, who the Randolph’s might have had the pleasure of listening to, were able to do just that as the piercing notes of their music wafted out through the open windows into the night air.

If you have a musical appreciation like the Randolph’s be sure to check out the flute on your next visit.  And look out for more information about our free summer concerts series, Jammin' on the James, where you and the family can enjoy music, games, crafts, face-painting, and tours of the historic house. See our website or follow us on Facebook for details on all of our upcoming events.

Bibliography

Bate, Philip. The Flute: A Study of its History, Development and Construction. W.W. Norton &

            Company, Inc. New York, 1969.

Toff, Nancy. The Development of the Modern Flute. Taplinger Publishing Company. New York,

            1979.

“Baroque Flutes: Thomas Stanesby, Jr”. Boaz Berney Historical Flutes.  18 July 2012.      

            <http://www.berneyflutes.com/pages/02flutes/models/baroque_stanesby.html> 

“Flute”. 18 July 2012. <http://www.gbmsband.org/html/flute.html >

“Stanesby Family. 18 July 2012. <www.buyrecorders.com/stanesbyfamily.htm>.

“History”. 18 July 2012. <http://community.middlebury.edu/~beyer/s/history.html>.

“Intonation”. Dictionary.com . 31 July 2012.

            <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/intonation?s=t>.

Image Credit

http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/andre-bouys-la-barre-and-other-musicians

Vote For Spotswood!

Thank you to everyone who has been keeping up with WIlton's Found in the Collection blog.  One of the objects featured in a post last year is a portion of a waistcoat belonging to Lt. Governor Alexander Spotswood.  This waistcoat has been nomination for the Virginia Association of Museums' Virginia's Top 10 Endangered Artifacts program.

Virginia's Top 10 Endangered Artifacts program raises public awareness about care of collections throughout Virginia, D.C., and beyond. Virginia's Top 10 is not a grant-giving program. It is designed to give museums, libraries, and archives an opportunity to raise media and public awareness about the ongoing & expensive care of collections, and collections care needs.Virginia's Top 10 Endangered Artifacts' nominees have the opportunity to promote their nomination during the public voting portion of this project. Once the public votes are tallied, our independent peer review panel will select the Top 10 winners. While public voting doesn't determine the Top 10, it will be taken into consideration by the panel - and those impressive voting numbers are great for museums to use when courting donors or applying for conservation grants!

Please take a minute to vote for the Spotswood waistcoat at Wilton.  Go to www.vatop10artifacts.org and click "Vote Now for the 2012 Nominees."  And remember, you can vote as often as you like, between now and August 29th.  Vote now!  Vote often!

There's Something in the Air

Object: Barometer, c. 1810
Accession #: 1992.0009

One historian states that in the 18^th century,“it was becoming fashionable among upper-class households to own one of these useful instruments.” Wilton's barometer is an English (London) cistern type barometer by W & T Gilbert and Company with silver plate under a glazed window, ivory knob underglaze-which adjusts the vernier scale-- and swan’s neck pediment with brass mounts. The barometer also has a thermometer mounted on the front of the mahogany veneered case. 

Barometers, invented by Evangelista Torricelli in 1643, are instruments used to measure atmospheric pressure. The word barometer comes from the Greek words meaning weight and measure. A glass tube from which the air was removed is put in a dish of mercury. Mercury is used in barometers because, “its weight made it possible to use a reasonably short tube.” As the air pressure increases it pushes down the mercury forcing it up the glass tube and when air pressure decreases the mercury is lowered back into the base. Air pressure is measured in “inches of mercury”or millibars (mb). 

Air pressure is the force exerted by tiny particles of air. In the 17^th century it was observed that there was a connection between the changes in the weight of air and those of the weather. As one source adequately puts it, “If a high pressure system is on its way,often you can expect cooler temperatures and clear skies. If a low pressure system is coming, then look for warmer weather, storms and rain.” Wind blows between areas of high and low pressure. Mr. Randolph might have owned a barometer as it would have proved useful for him and his livelihood of growing and selling tobacco from the plantation, which was contingent on the activity of the weather.

Many early barometers were made to fit the individual taste of those buying them. In  the latter part of the 17^th century and into the early 18^th century barometers were constructed and sold by cabinet-makers, clock-makers, instrument-makers, and opticians. However, one historian attests that “as the nineteenth century wore on the quality of domestic barometers declined; and the death of inventiveness led to stereotyped designs in which only superficial variations were made.” Therefore, the year of this barometer can be placed by its design.  Some characteristic designs in use in 1810, which are included in this cistern-tube barometer, are the mahogany frame, scroll pediment, and embellishments such as the use of ivory and wooden inlays. Also, a thermometer on the front of the case was a feature of the cistern-tube barometers of 1810. Leading makers around this time made their barometers in larger quantities and sold them to whole-sale retailers. It is their names that appeared on these later barometers.

In 1735, Edward Saul wrote in An Historical and Philosophical Account of the Barometer or Weather-Glass that barometers were in regular use in “most houses of figure and distinction.” It was no different later in the century when the Randolphs lived at Wilton, where the weather and temperature had a sway over the operation of the plantation and its cash crop, tobacco. It would not come as a surprise to see a barometer having a prominent place in an area of the house where Mr. Randolph would take care of the business of running his plantation. This provided him with a way of keeping an eye on what kind of weather to expect based on the rise and fall of the mercury. 

Bibliography

Goodison, Nicholas. English Barometers,1680-1860: A History of Domestic Barometers and

            their Makers. Crown Publishers, Inc. New York, 1968.

Netting, Ruth. “It’s a Breeze: How Air PressureAffects You: The Mercurial  Barometer:

            MeasuringPressure”. NASA.  22 January 2003.14 July 2012.                    

            <http://kids.earth.nasa.gov/archive/air_pressure/barometer.html>

Netting, Ruth. “It’s a Breeze: How Air Pressure Affects You: Feeling Pressured?”. NASA.22

            January2003. 14 July 2012. <http://kids.earth.nasa.gov/archive/air_pressure/>

“Weather: How a Barometer Measures AirPressure”.  USA Today.  20 May 2005. 14 July 2012.

            <http://www.usatoday.com/weather/wbaromtr.htm>

A Gift Within A Gift

Object: Pin cushion/pillow, c. 1755

Accession #: 1986.0008

One historian describes “maternity” pincushions as being “popular in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries as a gift to new mother [and] were stuck with pins arranged to form a design or verse, and as pins were expensive, the great number that went into the arrangement were a welcome gift.”  Most pins, which were made by hand in the 17th century, sold in America had been imported until the 1830s, when the manufacture of one-piece pins began in Connecticut.  The invention of a machine to make pins in one piece was made in the 1820s whereas previously pins came in two pieces, the head having to be clamped onto the shaft.  One historian stresses the importance of pins by stating, “Aside from the needle, there was no more important tool, especially for plain sewing, than the ordinary straight or common pin.”

This small square pin cushion is decorated with pins that form initials and dates.  The pin cushion was probably made by or for Mary Scott Randolph who was the wife of Brett Randolph I, cousin of William Randolph III, of Wilton.  The pins form the initials of Mary and Brett’s children, “R.R.” (Richard Randolph II) born August 17, 1754 (on back); “S.R.” (Susanna Randolph) born December 8, 1756; “H.R.” (Henry Randolph) born October 7, 1758; “B.R.” (Brett Randolph) born February 17, 1760.  The pin cushion is off white satin. This pin cushion could possibly be a “maternity pincushion” made for the mother either before or after the child was born.  The gift was not in the decorative pillow or pincushion, but was the collection of pins which were used for various things such as fastening diapers. Pins, particularly new ones, were also thought to bring good luck.

As pins were easily lost, pincushions were made out of a variety of materials including paper and fabric. Scraps left over from dressmaking could have also been used to make the maternity pincushion. Popular shapes for pincushions were hearts, stars, spheres, and squares. One historian points out how pincushions made as gifts for newborns “typically bore a design as well as a message, like one described by Anna Green Winslow in her diary: ‘My aunt stuck a white sattan pincushion for Mrs. Waters. On one side, is a planthorn with flowers, on the reverse, just under the border are, on one side stuck the words, JOSIAH WATERS, then follows on the end, Decr 1771, and on the next side and end are these words, Welcome Little Stranger.’”

The pin cushion in Wilton’s collection most likely was made for decoration as its pins are still intact. However, the person who lovingly formed the initials and dates of Mary Scott’s children might have meant for her to have used the pins as well. Either way, the pin cushion has been preserved and was kept through the succeeding generations of the family and continues to show what these humble metal fasteners meant to everyday life in 18th century.
                                                                                              

Bibbliography

Kirsch, Francine. "The Beaded Pincushion Meant for showing, not sewing", The New England

Antiques Journal, March 2010.  28-32.  21 June 2012.

<http://www.antiquesjournal.com/flipbooks/NEAJMarch10/28.html>

Wiessman, Judith Reiter and Wendy Lavitt. Labors of Love: America’s Textiles and

Needlework, 1650-1930. Random House. New York, 1987.

Walton, Paula. “Pincushions”. A Sweet Remembrance. 21 June 2012.

<http://asweetremembrance.com/store/WsDefault.asp?Cat=Pincushions&isThumbs=No

&curpage=2&Thumbs=>