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Mount Vernon, Home of Washington, Representing the Two Hundred Acres Purchased by the Ladies Association
This lithograph shows Mount Vernon when it was purchased by the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association (MVLA). In addition to the $200,000 estate, the MVLA acquired the complex history of Mount Vernon. This birds-eye view shows both George Washington's vision for his home and the results of the labor of enslaved people who made his life possible. This central contradiction at the heart of Mount Vernon has intrigued and frustrated visitors from Washington's day to the present.
H. Whatley, artist; Thomas S. Sinclair, printer |