Skip to main content
Collections Menu

George Washington’s Tomb at Mount Vernon

Image Not Available for George Washington’s Tomb at Mount Vernon
George Washington’s Tomb at Mount Vernon
Image Not Available for George Washington’s Tomb at Mount Vernon
Status
Not on view
Label Text

New England artist William Matthew Prior painted this distinctive view of Mount Vernon, one of a group of at least thirteen, in the mid-nineteenth century. Now generally considered a folk artist, Prior structured the sale of his paintings based on their degree of finish. Prior based his Mount Vernon views on several widely-published engravings after W.H. Brooke featuring the new tomb, old tomb and mansion. This unusual painting combines elements from two substantially different engravings after Brooke with the Birds-Eye View of Mount Vernon chromolithograph published by G. and F. Bill in 1859 after the Mount Vernon Ladies Association acquired the property. The resulting image is an entirely invented landscape, with dual—and dueling—perspectives.

Read MoreRead Less
Datec. 1859
Artist (American, 1806 - 1873)
Geography Probably made - United States
DimensionsOverall (H x W x D): 26 5/8 in. × 32 5/8 in. × 3 1/2 in. (67.63 cm × 82.87 cm × 8.89 cm) Other (H x W Sight): 18 3/4 in. × 25 in. (47.63 cm × 63.5 cm)
Credit LinePurchase, 1993
Object numberM-3701/A-B
DescriptionHorizontal landscape view of Mount Vernon at evening with the new tomb and obelisks, and a horse and rider in the foreground. The tomb is a brick color, with the arched doorway and metal gate outlined in black. Bands of light emanate from the tomb, with black lines of cast shadows. The two front obelisks are gated; all are highlighted with lighter shades implying a light source from the left. The rider on a dark brown horse wears a blue jacket and black hat and trousers and appears below and facing toward the “summer house” pavilion. In front of the rider there is the suggestion of a line of flowering plants via daubs of orange and yellow paint. To the right is a large vine-wrapped tree. The mansion, out buildings, and orchards appear in the background; this area is painted from a different perspective than the foreground scene. Many different shades of green are used for the trees and plants, and black dotted lines delineate the orchards. At right, mauve mountains designate the Maryland shore, and 11 sailboats appear in the Potomac River below them; a steamship is at mid-ground, along the coastline. The sky is painted in shades of pale blue, pale pink and violet, with cream and brown-black clouds.

It is glazed, in a gilt wood frame.
Published ReferencesJacquelyn Oak and Gwendolyn Dubois Shaw, Artist and Visionary: William Matthew Prior Revealed (Cooperstown, New York: Fenimore Art Museum, 2012), 27-29. (General Reference)

Beatrix Rumford, American Folk Portraits: Paintings and Drawings From the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Center (Boston: New York Graphic Society, 1981), 176-182. (General Reference)

Robert Bishop, Folk Painters of America, (New York: E.P. Dutton, 1979), 35, 40, 42. (General Reference)

Patricia Johnston, "William Matthew Prior, Itinerant Portrait Painter." Early American Life (June 1979): 20-23, 66. (General Reference)

Jean Lipman and Alice Winchester, Folk Painters of America (New York: Dodd Mean and Company, 1950), 80-89. (General Reference)

Nina Fletcher Little, "William M. Prior, Traveling Artist, and his In-Laws, the Painting Hamblens." Antiques 53 (January 1948): 44-48. (General Reference)

Grace Adams Lyman, "William M. Prior, “The Painting Garrett Artist”, Antiques 26 (November 1934): 180. (General Reference)
Mount Vernon's object research is ongoing and information about this object is subject to change. For information on image use and reproductions, click here.
Estate Hours

Open today from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm

iconDirections & Parking
buy tickets online & save