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Dive into the history of George Washington's tea table and the process of recreating it.
Join us for a conversation with Adam T. Erby, The Martha Washington Chief Curator, as he delves into the history of the piece and the process of recreating the Washington tea table along with ornamental woodcarver, Rob McCullough of McCullough & Hoover.
On August 20, 1757, the London merchant Richard Washington packed “A fine Mahogany Tea Table” and a variety of other goods for the 25-year-old bachelor planter George Washington. Washington used this piece, one of the most sophisticated pieces of furniture to arrive in the Virginia Colony, for the rest of his life, and it survives today at Tudor Place. In 2022, George Washington’s Mount Vernon embarked on a project to recreate this magnificent piece of furniture for use in the historic home. The recreation restores missing elements of the original and allows for the piece to be interpreted in its original setting.
Adam Erby received his bachelor’s degree in American Studies from the University of Virginia in 2010 and a master’s degree from the Winterthur Program in American Material Culture in 2013. He has been working with the collection at Mount Vernon since 2012 where he has published numerous articles of research regarding the Washington Collection.
Photo Credit: Gavin Ashworth, Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association
