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The Washington Family

The Washington Family
Artist
Edward Savage, 26 Nov 1761 - 6 Jul 1817
David Edwin, 1776 - 1841
Copy after
Edward Savage, 26 Nov 1761 - 6 Jul 1817
Sitter
George Washington, 22 Feb 1732 - 14 Dec 1799
George Washington Parke Custis, 30 Apr 1781 - 10 Oct 1857
Martha Dandridge Custis Washington, 2 Jun 1731 - 22 May 1802
Eleanor Parke Custis Lewis, 31 Mar 1779 - 15 Jul 1852
Possibly
William ("Billy") Lee, c. 1750 - c. 1828
Christopher Sheels, 1776 - after 1802
Date
1798
Type
Print
Medium
Stipple engraving on paper
Dimensions
Image: 46.8 x 62.3 cm (18 7/16 x 24 1/2")
Topic
Home Furnishings\Furniture\Seating\Chair
Costume\Headgear\Hat
Interior\Interior with Exterior View
Home Furnishings\Furniture\Table
Home Furnishings\Drape
Weapon\Sword
Architecture\Column
Printed Material\Map
Costume\Dress Accessory\Epaulet
Home Furnishings\Globe
Costume\Footwear\Boots
Costume\Footwear\Boots
Eleanor Parke Custis Lewis: Female
Eleanor Parke Custis Lewis: Visual Arts\Artist\Silhouettist
William ("Billy") Lee: Male
William ("Billy") Lee: Society and Social Change\Enslaved person
William ("Billy") Lee: Society and Social Change\Service worker\Domestic worker\Servant
George Washington: Male
George Washington: Military and Intelligence\Army\Officer\Revolutionary War
George Washington: Politics and Government\Statesman\Colonial statesman
George Washington: Natural Resource Occupations\Agriculturist\Farmer
George Washington: Military and Intelligence\Army\Officer\General
George Washington: Politics and Government\President of US
George Washington: Science and Technology\Surveyor
George Washington: Congressional Gold Medal
Martha Dandridge Custis Washington: Female
Martha Dandridge Custis Washington: Politics and Government\First Lady\First Lady of US
George Washington Parke Custis: Male
George Washington Parke Custis: Literature\Writer\Playwright
Christopher Sheels: Male
Christopher Sheels: Society and Social Change\Enslaved person
Portrait
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Restrictions & Rights
CC0
Object number
NPG.79.112
Exhibition Label
After the presidency, George and Martha Washington returned to Mount Vernon to raise their two grandchildren, George Washington “Wash” Parke Custis (far left) and Eleanor “Nelly” Custis (center). As an adult, Wash Custis fathered a daughter named Maria with an enslaved house servant, Arianna Carter. In 1825, he freed Maria, providing her with land from his Virginia estate, which was called Arlington. Wash’s other surviving daughter, Mary Anna Randolph Custis, went on to marry Robert E. Lee and occupied the nearby mansion house on the property that is now known as Arlington National Cemetery.
In this popular print, the Washingtons gather around a map. An enslaved servant, possibly Christopher Sheels, stands at right, alluding to the complex interracial relationships and dependencies that shaped the Washington family’s life and legacy.
Al terminar la presidencia, George y Martha Washington regresaron a Mount Vernon para cuidar a sus dos nietos, George Washington “Wash” Parke Custis (extrema izq.) y Eleanor “Nelly” Custis (centro). De adulto, Wash Custis tuvo una hija llamada Maria con una esclava de la casa, Arianna Carter. En 1825 Wash dio a Maria la libertad y una porción de su propiedad de Virginia, llamada Arlington. Su otra hija sobreviviente, Mary Anna Randolph Custis, se casó con Robert E. Lee y ocupó la mansión vecina en la propiedad que hoy se conoce como el Cementerio Nacional de Arlington. Esta estampa popular muestra a los Washington reunidos en torno a un mapa. De pie a la derecha hay un sirviente esclavo, posiblemente Christopher Sheels, señal de los complejos vínculos y relaciones interraciales que moldearon la vida y el legado de la familia Washington.
Data Source
National Portrait Gallery
Location
Currently not on view