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Plank

Plank
Lead
c. 1767-1802
Plank
Plank
Lead
c. 1767-1802
Plank Lead c. 1767-1802
Status
Not on view
Label Text

This lead plank bears the distinctive scalloped indentations produced by pinking irons, sharp punches used to create a decorative edge on women's garments and their trimmings during the eighteenth century. In 1768, George Washington acquired a "Com[plete] Sett of Pink[in]g Irons" from London for his wife Martha, and probably procured this lead plank shortly thereafter. Skilled slaves such as Oney Judge and Charlotte likely used these tools to embellish the garments of Martha Washington and her daughter, Patsy.

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Date1765-1800
Geography Possibly made - United StatesPossibly made - England
Medium/TechniqueLead
DimensionsOverall (H x W x D): 1 3/8 in. x 14 in. x 6 3/8 in. (3.49 cm x 35.56 cm x 16.19 cm)
Credit LinePurchase, 1956
Object numberW-2168
DescriptionRectangular, cast slab of lead.
Published ReferencesCarol Borchert Cadou, The George Washington Collection: Fine and Decorative Arts (New York: Hudson Hills Press, 2006), 204.
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