First in the Homes of His Countrymen

Over the past two hundred years, Americans have reproduced George Washingtons Mount Vernon plantation house more often, and in a greater variety of media, than any of their countrys other historic buildings. In this highly original new book, Lydia Mattice Brandt chronicles Americas obsession with the first presidents iconic home through advertising, prints, paintings, popular literature, and the full-scale replication of its architecture. Even before Washingtons 1799 death, his house was an important symbol for the new nation. His countrymen used it to idealize the past as well as to evoke contemporary--and even divisive--political and social ideals. In the wake of the mid-nineteenth centurys revival craze, Mount Vernon became an obvious choice for architects and patrons looking to reference the past through buildings in residential neighborhoods, at worlds fairs, and along the commercial strip. The singularity of the buildings trademark piazza and its connection to Washington made it immediately recognizable and easy to replicate. As a myriad of Americans imitated the buildings architecture, the Mount Vernon Ladies Association carefully interpreted and preserved its fabric. Purchasing the house in 1859 amid intense scrutiny, the organization safeguarded Washingtons home and ensured its accessibility as the nations leading historic house museum. Tension between popular images of Mount Vernon and the organizations ""official"" narrative for the house over the past 150 years demonstrates the close and ever-shifting relationship between historic preservation and popular architecture.In existence for roughly as long as the United States itself, Mount Vernons image has remained strikingly relevant to many competing conceptions of our countrys historical and architectural identity.