Feb 07, 2008 - Sale 2135

Sale 2135 - Lot 8

Unsold
Estimate: $ 10,000 - $ 15,000
VANNERSON, JULIAN (1827-1875)
"Washington's House, Mount Vernon." Oval salted paper print, 5x7 1/4 inches (12.7x18.4 cm.), with the original title, in ink, in a period hand, on paper accompanying the image. 1853
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Additional Details

From James Johnston albums in the Janos Novometsky collection; to the present owner.
The photograph depicts the War of 1812 Veterans reunion in front of George Washington's House.


By 1850 Mount Vernon, Virginia, the home of George Washington, was attracting ten thousand tourists annually, each to bask in the enduring legacy of the country's first President. The veterans of the War of 1812 who are shown in these pictures stand with pride before this national monument in a composition that is as much about them as it is about the historical importance of the site. These are symbolic images, which convey the continuity of our nation's history and the strength of American identity.


Years after Washington's death, his estate fell into disrepair. Nevertheless, at this time of crisis, the public claimed his home as national property and as a symbol of the Union. The condition of this important landmark did not go unnoticed and the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union raised funds to purchase and restore it. Some argued that if Mount Vernon could be saved, then the nation might be preserved from ruin as well.