This side table is thought to be one of the "2 marble Tables" listed in George Washington's probate inventory. Its possible early date of manufacture suggests it may have belonged to Martha Washington's first husband, Daniel Parke Custis (who died in 1757), and was brought to Mount Vernon upon her marriage to George Washington in 1759. Its marble top, impervious to liquid, made it an attractive and resilient surface from which to serve food and drink. Although it likely furnished a dining room or parlor for many decades, its location in the third floor garret at the time of the Washingtons' deaths indicates it was outmoded by that time.