Blue Room at Mount Vernon

The Blue Room was one of the six primary bedchambers at Mount Vernon.

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Included with General Admission

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The Mansion

Bedchamber for Visiting Family and Guests

Located at the top of the stairs on the second floor, the Blue Room overlooked the front entrance and the view to the west. By the late 1790s, it served as a bedchamber for visiting family and guests.

Architectural moldings and a mantel, painted cream in the 1790s, framed the space, while blue textiles and wallpaper distinguished it.

A unique mix of furnishings acquired over the course of the Washingtons’ lifetimes offered comfortable accommodations and an innovative Rumford firebox provided a warmer, smoke-free stay during the cooler seasons of the year.

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The Washingtons and the Blue Room

The Blue Room’s history connects it to three significant moments in the Washingtons’ lives: when George Washington first became the gentleman landowner of Mount Vernon; when Martha Washington became mistress of the house; and years later, when Washington’s status as gentleman, military hero, and national leader was fully established.

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Furnishings

The evidence suggests the Washingtons furnished it extensively, but not ostentatiously, for the comfort of their guests, gathering together a distinctive mix of furnishings.

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Artwork

The 1800 inventory taken after George Washington’s death names four prints that hung in the Blue Room. The prints, part of a collection of over 100 that Washington had amassed in Philadelphia, announced his emergence as a collector and a man of taste.

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Biography of the Blue Room

While the Blue Room was never the most important room inside George Washington's home, it still played an important role in the daily operations of Mount Vernon's busy household.

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