The Colonial Dames of America

10/15/2026

Fraunces Tavern Museum has invited CDA members to "Keeping George Washington First", an in-person and virtual lecture on October 19, 2026 from 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM.

As America celebrates 250 years of independence, this talk will examine the indispensable founder, George Washington. We’ll explore Washington’s life and political leadership as well as his work as a farmer, entrepreneur and architect.

The lecture will also take a look at the groundbreaking work of the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association, which has owned and managed George Washington’s Mount Vernon since 1858. In that year, an intrepid group of women — who had no right to vote or own property — came together to save George Washington’s home, after both the Federal Government and Commonwealth of Virginia had refused to help. Formation of the MVLA marked the birth of the historic preservation movement — and the MVLA has been going strong ever since.*

This lecture will take place in-person and via Zoom.

Learn more here:

As America celebrates 250 years of independence, this talk will examine the indispensable founder, George Washington. We’ll explore Washington’s life and political leadership as well as his work as a farmer, entrepreneur and architect. The lecture will also take a look at the groundbreaking work...

10/11/2026

CIRCA 1679

James Symonds (1633-1714), valuables cabinet, 1679, owned by Joseph and Bathsheba Pope, oak, maple, iron, and paint. Museum purchase, made possible by anonymous donors, 2000. Photo by Dennis Helmar, courtesy Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, Massachusetts.

"Handwork: Celebrating American Craft 2026" at the Racine Art Museum (RAM) and its second campus, the Charles A. Wustum Museum of Fine Arts (Wustum), is a nationwide initiative led by Craft in America to honor the handmade during the country’s semiquincentennial celebration. The exhibit features American craft as a universal and democratic expression, uniting people of all backgrounds and beliefs through the exploration of materiality and functionality through many diverse genres, from paper cutting to sculpture to Indigenous basketry.

RAM is located at 441 Main Street; Wustum is located at 2519 Northwestern Avenue in Racine, Wisconsin. Both museums are open Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The exhibition runs through December 18.

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10/11/2026

Good morning, kind readers. Some lovely by Gainsborough to start your day!
Via the Yale Center for British Art:
Thomas Gainsborough RA, 1727–1788, British, Mary Little, later Lady Carr, ca. 1765, Oil on canvas, Yale Center for British Art, Bequest of Mrs. Harry Payne Bingham, B1987.6.2

10/11/2026

COSY COMFY FROCK FROM 1730’s

This is a splendid example of a style called the robe volante. Though in practice it had the same elements as any other of the fashionable styles of the time, a gown, and an underskirt, there are critical differences. The gown is not pulled into the waistline at all but falls in full pleats to the hem without interruption just as the back does. There is also not a stomacher, but instead a decorated corset. The style form was fairly short lived, only existing in the first half of the 18th century and primarily in Venice.
French made around 1730, this example is constructed of a glorious silk lampas with a blue gray ground and a baroque floral motif in white.

Side note: Lampas is created on a draw loom with a ground weave that is typically taffeta. A supplementary weft pattern is laid on top to form the design. This is sometimes called the brocading weft.

Collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

10/11/2026

CDA DAMES ALL

10/11/2026

FOOT CANDY 🍭

: Martha Washington asked her husband, George, to purchase hers from London; Dorothy Quincy received them as a gift from her fiancé, John Hancock, while he was in Philadelphia “on business” in 1775. What was this special token requested by these two women and purchased by countless others? Calamanco shoes (Calendared wool upper). Photo, Penny Leveritt, courtesy Historic Deerfield
MORE: http://silkdamask.blogspot.com/2014/10/george-washington-orders-london-shoes.html

10/11/2026

10/09/2026

A memorable evening celebrating 200 years of the Mount Vernon Hotel

On September 29, the Colonial Dames of America welcomed guests to the 2026 Museum Benefit, featuring a fascinating presentation by David Freeland on the Hotel’s connections to grand hotels like the Waldorf-Astoria, live piano music, a Waldorf-Astoria-inspired menu, and guided Museum tours.

Thanks to the generosity of our guests, donors, and underwriters, we surpassed our $50,000 fundraising goal, and all five designated Museum projects were fully funded! These gifts will support the preservation and educational mission of the Mount Vernon Hotel Museum & Garden.

Thank you to everyone who made this special evening possible. Enjoy a few highlights from the celebration!

09/30/2026

This is a dish called Snow Eggs. It’s one of the many dishes which James Hemings, the enslaved chef of Thomas Jefferson, brought back to the US after learning to cook in France. They are a sweet meringue poached in milk and set on a pool of delicious custard. Colonial Williamsburg

09/30/2026

FOOT CANDY 🍭