Iron chest

Status

On view

Label Text

This iron chest was originally owned by Daniel Parke Custis, Martha Washington's first husband. George and Martha used it as a strong box to keep their valuables and important documents safe. Made for just such a purpose, the chest is constructed entirely out of wrought iron sheets, has false key escutcheons, is fitted for two additional padlocks, and can even be bolted to the floor. At the time of Washington's death, the trusted repository held 50% of his estimated wealth held in stock, cash, jewelry, and precious metal objects.

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Date1650-1750

Geography Probably made - Germany

Medium/TechniqueIron

DimensionsOverall: 11 in. x 20 1/4 in. x 12 3/4 in. (27.94 cm x 51.44 cm x 32.39 cm)

Credit LinePurchase, 1954

Object numberW-1964

DescriptionRectangular iron chest. Lidded chest made wrought iron sheets reinforced and held together by iron bands hammered into place and secured with rivets. The edges of the slides, flat top lid and bottom are also reinforced with strips of iron. The locking mechanisms include two integral key entry locks, one with a decorative cutwork escutcheon located on the face and another on the lid. The lid is further fitted with an integral lever locking mechanism faced with a crimp-edged lock plate. The chest is additionally secured by two hasps and a single staple on the face; the proper left staple has since broken off. The chest also features two "C" shaped wrought iron handles, installed with two iron staples on either side.
Published ReferencesBenson J. Lossing, George Washington's Mount Vernon or Mount Vernon and its Associations, Historical, Biographical, and Pictorial (New York, The Fairfax Press, 1977), 63-64.

Author unknown, "The Firearms of George Washington," The American Rifleman (February 1968): 28.

Theodore T. Belote, "Descriptive Catalogue of the Washington Relics in the United States National Museum," from the Proceedings of the United States National Museum, vol. 49, pgs. 1-24, plates 1-27 (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1915), 19.

Benson J. Lossing, "Arlington House: The Seat of G.W.P. Custis, Esq.," Harper's New Monthly Magazine VII (September 1853): 439.

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