Visitors to Kenmore’s Drawing Room may have noticed an unusual pairing of glassware and ceramic pieces displayed on the gaming table - a beautiful, air-twist stem wine glass sitting next to a Westerwald pottery jug. At first glance, this small vignette may simply appear to depict a wine jug at the ready, waiting to fill … Continue reading Liberty vs. The King: National Identities in Two Lewis Family Drinking Vessels
English identity
Five International Influences on George Washington’s Early Life
An Essay of a New and Compact Map, Containing the Known Parts of the Terrestrial Globe by Jacques-Nicolas Bellin was published in 1750 when George Washington was 18-years-old. Credit: Wikipedia. Ferry Farm was a unique place to live in the mid-1700s. Situated where farm, frontier, city, river, and road converged on the edge of English … Continue reading Five International Influences on George Washington’s Early Life
Coffee: A Revolutionary Drink
The history of coffee is long and complex and can never be fully explored in a single blog post, however, because of my admiration for the caffeinated beverage I wanted to learn how the colonist utilized coffee. Fortunately, in the collections at Kenmore, we not only have a selection of 18th century coffeepots and cups … Continue reading Coffee: A Revolutionary Drink
The Man on the Ceiling: Neoclassical Decorating at Kenmore
As with many things at Historic Kenmore, the reasoning behind the choices Fielding and Betty Lewis made for their masterpiece of a house remain a mystery to us. Why are Aesop’s Fables the subject of the decorative plaster overmantel in the Dining Room? Why is there an old-fashioned paneled wall in the Chamber? Why did … Continue reading The Man on the Ceiling: Neoclassical Decorating at Kenmore
Put That in Your Pipe and Smoke It: Tobacco & Politics in the 1700s
Colonial American. Think about that term. What does it mean to you? It refers to citizens of the American colonies prior to the Revolution. In the minds of many of us in the present-day United States, however, it might denote a unique American identity, probably because our own identities as Americans are firmly set and … Continue reading Put That in Your Pipe and Smoke It: Tobacco & Politics in the 1700s
George Toasts George?
At George Washington’s Ferry Farm we’ve just wrapped up a ceramic mending project. We explain how and why we undertake these mending projects in this post. Our most recent effort focused on Westerwald stonewares owned by the Washington family. Stoneware is a high-fired, non-porous ceramic that is excellent for producing storage containers and drinking vessels. But … Continue reading George Toasts George?
Lives & Legacies 