George Washington--the man behind the myths

Abstract

George Washington: The Man Behind the Myths. By William M. S. Rasmussen and Robert S. Tilton. (Charlottesville and London: University Press of Virginia, c. 1999. Pp. xvi, 328. Paper, $24.95 ISBN 0-8139-1900-2.) This sumptuous book--ostensibly the catalog of an exhibition organized by the Virginia Historical Society, with support by Washington and Lee University and the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association--is a work of original scholarship with many insights into both George Washington and the myths surrounding him. The volume interweaves four themes. The first theme is a readable biography that acts as the book's narrative spine; it traces the major events of Washington's private life and public career. Unlike most of his biographers, William M. S. Rasmussen and Robert S. Tilton explain Washington in terms of colonial Virginia's gentry culture. Their Washington is not a self-created hero standing outside of history, but a person who in his values and tastes, goals, and pursuits is the product of a specific place in time. The authors offer an admiring but not uncritical interpretation of his development, motivation, and character. Rasmussen and Tilton's second subject is Washington's relationship to Mount Vernon. As a working plantation (or rather, several connected plantations) that employed black slaves, white indentured servants, and free white workers, the estate required Washington's constant attention. The authors usefully review his management style, agricultural program, business strategies, and problematic involvement with slavery. Mount Vernon was also a showcase Washington designed to display its proprietor's social status. The authors explain in great detail the ongoing effort to refurbish the entire grounds, and especially the main house, in order to transform a simple, though large, colonial farmhouse and farm into an impressive mansion and estate. Rasmussen and Tilton show Washington's attention to contemporary architectural practices, but they also recount his readiness to depart from current standards and to adapt forms when necessity and his own sense of style prompted him to go his own way. Most readers will surely be surprised at Washington's taste and creativity as a self-trained architect. Buildings need furnishings, and the authors' third theme examines Washington's choices of tables and chairs, dinnerware and decorations, and all manner of accoutrements for Mount Vernon and the presidential residences in New York and Philadelphia. …