Just weeks before his second term as President ended in March 1797, Washington purchased "2 doz chairs & 2 sideboards" from Philadelphia cabinetmaker John Aitken. Washington shipped the stylish furniture to Mount Vernon, where it graced his newest and most public room, the two-story dining room. This well-proportioned side chair, one of the twenty-four from Aitken, superbly complements the grand space, which Washington lavishly adorned with neoclassical architectural motifs. The chair's delicately carved, elliptic-cornered square back with urn splat derives from designs by the English furniture designer Thomas Sheraton (1751-1806), while its square, tapered front legs also appear on chairs made by his contemporary, George Hepplewhite (1727-1786). Brass tacks in a swag pattern punctuate the seat's tight curves and highlight its sumptuous green silk damask cover.