As an arbiter of taste, Martha Washington wore simple but elegant clothing in keeping with the socio-political ideals of the early Republic. This chain and pearl necklace is typical of the early neoclassic style which incorporated gold and white into architecture, dress, and personal adornment. Martha perhaps wore the double stranded chain with the stylish muslin dress she described in a 1789 letter to her niece, Fanny Bassett: "I have put on white muslin Habits for the summer - you would I fear think me a good deal in the fashion".