George Washington Mourning Picture

Americans greeted news of George Washington's death on Dec. 14, 1799, with an outpouring of grief. Prints and needlework pictures, like this one, commemorated Washington's memory. Probably stitched by a young woman on a silk fabric painted by Philadelphia artist Samuel Folwell, the picture combines symbols of America (eagle) with emblems of grief (weeping willow and urn). Young women often stitched pictures like this at schools for girls and young ladies. When hung in the parlor, the picture demonstrated the stitcher’s skill and refinement as well as the family’s gentility.

Object Details

• Needlework Mourning Picture
  Philadelphia
  ca. 1802
  Silk and paint on silk
  Museum of the American Revolution, acquired with funds from Collections Society founding member Jeanne Asplundh, 2017.27.01