Martha Washington epitomizes the current position of women in the study of American decorative arts – overshadowed by a more famous spouse, she remains an elusive figure. Many other women of considerable accomplishment and interest continue to be overshadowed by fathers and brothers, husbands and son, leading to an incomplete understanding of America’s cultural past. At many historic house sites, for example, there is often more information presented on female servants (free and enslaved) than there is on the mistress of the house.

As interest in women’s history and family history has grown in recent decades, rich and revealing individual studies have been conducted. Surprisingly, there has not emerged a continuing forum for bringing together researchers and audiences interested in discussing the intersection of women and the American decorative arts in a domestic setting. Mount Vernon’s decorative arts symposium fills this vacuum.