Crib

Status

Not on view

Label Text

Family tradition maintains Martha Washington presented this crib to her youngest granddaughter, Eleanor (Nelly) Parke Custis Lewis, when she gave birth to her first child, Frances Parke Lewis, at Mount Vernon on November 27, 1799. The crib is handsome as well as practical: a hinged side enables one to easily reach the infant or to change the bed linens.

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Datec. 1799

Geography Made - United States

Medium/TechniqueMahogany (primary), oak (slat), brass, iron

DimensionsOverall (H x W x D): 58 3/4 in. x 45 1/2 in. x 27 1/4 in. (149.23 cm x 115.57 cm x 69.22 cm)

Credit LineGift of Marie Conrad Lehr as a memorial to her brother, Charles Angelo Conrad II, 1915

Object numberW-237

DescriptionRectangular high-post crib with rail-and-spindle sides; four identical posts with turned, tapered columns above the crib's top rails are squared below and terminate in square, tapered legs and feet; four sides have top and bottom rails molded along top edges and tapered column spindles set between square top and bottom blocks; one long side is hinged at bottom, swings outward, and is secured by brass latchets set into the top rail and side posts; six slats set into bottom side rails support bedding.

The arched tester, finials, and caster are restored elements added in 2014.

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