This fire screen may have been one of several that the Washingtons used at Mount Vernon, a luxury item that shielded the user’s face or body from the direct heat of the fireplace when sitting nearby. It also provided a prominent place to display fine textiles, perhaps imported fabrics or the embroidered fancy work of a female member of the household. The original covering on this screen no longer survives. Martha Washington’s granddaughter, Martha Custis Peter, or her descendants replaced it with a large fragment of green silk reportedly cut from one of Mrs. Washington’s gowns.