Corner basin stand

Status

On view

Label Text

Each of the ten bedrooms at Mount Vernon was simply, but adequately furnished for the convenience of the family, friends, and admiring guests that came each year to visit George and Martha Washington. A dressing table or a wash stand, outfitted with a water basin and jug, allowed company to maintain a genteel appearance by washing their face and hands on a daily basis. In addition to a water bowl, this stand could neatly house linens, soap, and additional toiletries as needed.

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Date1790-1800

Geography Probably made - United States

Medium/TechniqueMahogany (primary), yellow poplar (secondary), brass

DimensionsOverall: 30 3/8 in. x 22 in. x 15 3/8 in. (77.17 cm x 55.88 cm x 39.07 cm)

Credit LinePurchase, 1956

Object numberW-2057

DescriptionCorner basin stand with bowed front and two shelves with drawer and cabinet below on three, slightly tapered, square legs with square feet; the top shelf has a large circular cut-out at center for a basin and a smaller circular cut-out directly behind this; a short, rectilinear splashboard with ends carved to a shallow S-curve is glued to the back edges of the top shelf; the second shelf forms the top of a case whose front is divided into three, short, rectilinear, mahogany-veneered reserves above three, tall, mahogany-veneered reserves, all outlined by light-wood stringing; checkerboard banding along lower edge; the central reserves from the front of a drawer with a turned wooden knob above a door with a brass pull; several patches of paper remnants glued to the inside of the drawer bottom; door constructed of six horizontal laminations framed by vertical blocks on each side.
Published ReferencesHelen Maggs Fede, Washington Furniture at Mount Vernon (Mount Vernon, Virginia: Mount Vernon Ladies Association, 1966), 56-57.

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