Washington’s Valise or Portmanteau

Philadelphia upholsterer Plunket Fleeson made two valises (also referred to later as portmanteaux), including this one for General George Washington in 1776. The other valise survives in the collection of the Smithsonian Institution. During the war, Washington likely used the valises to store personal belongings, such as bed linens. After the war, parts of his military tents were stored in the valises at Mount Vernon. George Washington Parke Custis painted lettering on the lid of this valise to reference Washington’s first and last campaigns of the war: “Heights of Dorchester 1775” and “Surrender of Yorktown 1781.”

Object Details

• Valise or Portmanteau
  Made by Plunket Fleeson
  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  1776
  Leather, Linen, Iron
  Museum of the American Revolution, 2003.00.0899