Invitation Plate

Forging relationships through hospitality comprised a key part of Washington’s duties as president. He and Mrs. Washington hosted dinners so frequently that their household staff used an engraved copper plate to print invitations in advance, filling in the specific date and recipient as the occasion approached. Every Thursday afternoon at four o’clock the Washingtons welcomed ten to twenty Congressmen, foreign dignitaries, and members of the cabinet for multi-course dinners.

Plate: Gift of Henry Lane Eno, 1915; Conservation courtesy of the Life Guard Society of Mount Vernon [W-827]