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Riding crop

Riding crop
Amory and Johnson, c. 1770
Wood, leather, string, silver, iron, horn
Riding crop
Riding crop
Amory and Johnson, c. 1770
Wood, leather, string, silver, iron, horn
Riding crop Amory and Johnson, c. 1770 Wood, leather, string, silver, iron, horn
Status
Not on view
Label Text

Whether inspecting his outlying farms or fox hunting with friends and neighbors, George Washington relied upon carefully chosen tack for all his riding expeditions. Prior to the Revolution, Washington ordered most of his equestrian gear (including several hunting whips) from England. This beautifully crafted riding crop, however, is a rare surviving example made in New York City. It was likely converted from a hunting whip at a later date, but retains its original "GW" monogrammed silver handle.

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Datec. 1770
Geography Made - United States
DimensionsOverall: 23 1/2 in. x 1 1/8 in. (59.69 cm x 2.86 cm) Overall (Diameter of handle and overall length): 1 1/4 in. x 21 3/4 in. (3.18 cm x 55.25 cm)
Credit LineGift of Francis A. Mead, via the American Red Cross Museum, 1944
Object numberW-1213
DescriptionSilver-headed riding or hunting crop with a tapered wooden shaft or stock. Handle is spiral wrapped with a narrow, channeled strip of horn and silver braid or twisted wire; horn is secured at lower end with an iron nail or brad. Central section is spiral wrapped with a double-ply natural fiber (possibly hemp) woven in a herringbone pattern. Stitched leather loop (modern) attached at tapered end. Silver head is engraved on top with script initials or monogram: "GW" bordered by scrolls, and around ferrule with geometric bands along top and bottom

Alternate names for this form include: hunting crop, hunting whip, riding whip, whipstock.

SignedEngraved around silver handle: "Amory and Johnson Makers New York"
Published ReferencesBuhler, Kathryn C. Mount Vernon Silver (Mount Vernon, VA: Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, 1957), p. 38, fig. 15. (Could not find accompanying text.)

Cadou, Carol Borchert. The George Washington Collection: Fine and Decorative Arts at Mount Vernon (New York: Hudson Hills Press, 2006), p. 64, cat. 14.
Mount Vernon's object research is ongoing and information about this object is subject to change. For information on image use and reproductions, click here.
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