In the late eighteenth century, a significant factor distinguishing the social status of a host was his ability to lay a table with clean linens, including individual napkins for each of his guests. George Washington described with disdain a ball he attended in 1760 in which "pocket handkerchiefs served the purposes of Tablecloths & Napkins." In his own home, Washington was careful to maintain an adequate supply of table linens. The laundry mark at the corner of this damask napkin - "1/ GW/ 48" - indicates that it was among a set of forty-eight owned by him. The neoclassical design, which features lacy swags, flower-filled urns, and florid vines, suggests it was made in the 1790s.