This footstool descended in the family of Martha Washington’s granddaughter, Martha Custis Peter, with a history of having served as a seat to Mrs. Washington’s French writing desk. One of her descendants, Britannia Wellington Peter Kennon, added the current leather slip-seat in the nineteenth century. Tack holes in the upper part of the seat frame suggest that it was originally upholstered half-over-the-rail. It likely had an upholstered pillow or squab set on top of it to provide additional comfort.