A Suit Coat That Makes a Statement
George Washington’s inaugural suit was more than attire; it was a statement of national identity.
In early 1789, as Washington prepared for his first inauguration, he was influenced by a call from a "Philadelphia mechanic" published in The Federal Gazette, urging American statesmen to wear domestically produced clothing. Washington, ever conscious of his role as the nation's leader, took this suggestion to heart, commissioning a suit crafted from American wool.
The suit itself included a frock coat, waistcoat, and breeches, combining essential elements of an 18th-century gentleman’s formal attire.
After Washington’s death, the coat passed to a niece and nephew, and later generations took souvenirs from it. One full tail of the coat, all of the buttons, and the silk lining were cut out. In 1930, Elizabeth Taylor Tilford Keferstein (Mrs. Carl Bismarck Keferstein) presented it to Mount Vernon.
Washington's Presidential Chair
On April 17, 1790, George Washington paid New York cabinetmaker Thomas Burling £7 for this ingeniously-engineered "Uncommon Chair."
It combines the sleek, contemporary design of a French bergère en gondole (or barrel-back upholstered armchair) with a unique swivel mechanism that allows the circular seat to rotate on four bone rollers.
Washington must have found the chair to be ergonomically pleasing, as he used it throughout his presidency and for the remainder of his life.
Following his return to Mount Vernon in March 1797, he placed it in his study along with the tambour secretary he acquired from Philadelphia cabinetmaker John Aitken.
