Over the past two hundred years, Americans have reproduced George Washington's Mount Vernon plantation house more often, and in a greater variety of media, than any of their country's other historic buildings. In this highly original new book, Lydia Mattice Brandt chronicles America's obsession with the first president's iconic home through advertising, prints, paintings, popular literature, and the full-scale replication of its architecture. Even before Washington's 1799 death, his house was an important symbol for the new ...
Read More
Over the past two hundred years, Americans have reproduced George Washington's Mount Vernon plantation house more often, and in a greater variety of media, than any of their country's other historic buildings. In this highly original new book, Lydia Mattice Brandt chronicles America's obsession with the first president's iconic home through advertising, prints, paintings, popular literature, and the full-scale replication of its architecture. Even before Washington's 1799 death, his house was an important symbol for the new nation. His countrymen used it to idealize the past as well as to evoke contemporary--and even divisive--political and social ideals. In the wake of the mid-nineteenth century's revival craze, Mount Vernon became an obvious choice for architects and patrons looking to reference the past through buildings in residential neighborhoods, at world's fairs, and along the commercial strip. The singularity of the building's trademark piazza and its connection to Washington made it immediately recognizable and easy to replicate. As a myriad of Americans imitated the building's architecture, the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association carefully interpreted and preserved its fabric. Purchasing the house in 1859 amid intense scrutiny, the organization safeguarded Washington's home and ensured its accessibility as the nation's leading historic house museum. Tension between popular images of Mount Vernon and the organization's ""official"" narrative for the house over the past 150 years demonstrates the close and ever-shifting relationship between historic preservation and popular architecture.In existence for roughly as long as the United States itself, Mount Vernon's image has remained strikingly relevant to many competing conceptions of our country's historical and architectural identity.
Read Less
Add this copy of First in the Homes of His Countrymen: George Washington to cart. $25.68, very good condition, Sold by Dotcom liquidators / dc1 rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Fort Worth, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2016 by University of Virginia Press.
Add this copy of First in the Homes of His Countrymen: George Washington to cart. $30.00, like new condition, Sold by Dan Pope Books rated 3.0 out of 5 stars, ships from WEST Hartford, CT, UNITED STATES, published 2016 by University of Virginia Press.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Fine in Fine jacket. First edition. First printing (with full number line including 1). Hardbound. Fine in a fine jacket. A clean tight copy. Comes with archival-quality mylar jacket protector. Smoke-free.
Add this copy of First in the Homes of His Countrymen: George Washington to cart. $48.85, new condition, Sold by Ingram Customer Returns Center rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from NV, USA, published 2016 by University of Virginia Press.
Add this copy of First in the Homes of His Countrymen: George Washington to cart. $72.45, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2016 by University of Virginia Press.
Add this copy of First in the Homes of His Countrymen: George Washington to cart. $136.84, new condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2016 by University of Virginia Press.
