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Martha Washington
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Martha Washington U.S. Pres. George and first lady Martha Washington
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First lady Martha Washington Martha Washington Martha Washington and George Washington and their children
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Parsons Weems' Fable, oil on canvas by Grant Wood, 1939; in the Amon Carter Museum of American Art. Catalog entry: The historian Mason Locke Weems, commonly known by his clerical title, Parson Weems, pulls back a curtain to point at 6-year-old George Washington. Bearing an adult head and holding an axe, George gazes blankly up at his father, Augustine, who questions his son while holding a partially cut cherry tree. All of this takes place in front of a 20th-century brick building, which Wood modeled after his own home in Iowa. The scene illustrates the fable of Washington and the cherry tree, which Weems invented in 1806 for the first president's biography. Wood playfully suggests the artifice of the tale here, presenting the story in the manner of a costumed stage play rather than a real event. Amid the action, two Black figures pick cherries in the background, a reference to Washington' slaveholding past and a reminder of of what often gets left out in historical mythmaking.
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Painting titled: "Washington as Statesman at the Constitutional Convention" oil on canvas by Junius Brutus Stearns, 1856; in the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. (Note from museum) The painting represents George Washington's role as president of the 1787 Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. The normally reserved Washington urges passage of a new federal constitution, a draft of which he holds in his hands.
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Martha Washington: Facts & Related Content

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Facts

Also Known As Martha Custis • Martha Dandridge
Born June 2, 1731 • Virginia
Died May 22, 1802 (aged 70) • Mount Vernon • Virginia
Title / Office first lady (1789-1797)

Photos and Videos

Martha Washington
U.S. Pres. George and first lady Martha Washington
First lady Martha Washington
Martha Washington
Martha Washington and George Washington and their children
Learn about George Washington's hobbies before becoming the first president of the United States of America
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