Gunston Hall

Have you ever written an important paper and looked at other great writers' examples to guide your thoughts? George Mason did the same thing when he wrote the 1776 Virginia Declaration of Rights! This historic document was the first in the American colonies to officially list specific individual rights and freedoms, establishing the core of the Virginian government. Here are a selection of books in Gunston Hall's rare book collection that inspired George Mason. Our outstanding interns Emily Alberti from William & Mary, Zoe Ferrante from George Mason University, and Claire Fergusson from Kenyon College selected, researched, and created this object group.

This virtual exhibit was co-curated by summer 2023 curatorial interns Emily Alberti from William & Mary, Zoe Ferrante from George Mason University, and Claire Fergusson from Kenyon College. William Buckland was an influential architect in the American colonies during the late eighteenth century. He was born in Oxford, England in 1734. Like many boys in the eighteenth-century, Buckland became an apprentice as a teenager. This meant that he signed an indenture promising his services to his uncle, James Buckland, in order to learn a trade. William Buckland was only 14 years old when he signed that contract. Over seven years, William learned the skills that were necessary to be a joiner and carpenter. On August 4, 1755 (four months after the end of his apprenticeship), he signed a new indenture to Thomson Mason. In exchange for passage to the colonies, living provisions, and a salary, Buckland agreed to complete the interior design of George Mason IV’s Gunston Hall. After Gunston Hall, Buckland went on to design several other sites in the mid-Atlantic region, including the Truro Parish’s “Glebe House,” Colonel Tayloe’s Mount Airy, the Chase-Lloyd House, and the Hammond-Harwood House. Buckland had access to many resources and tools that both provided inspiration for his designs and allowed him to bring them to life. This exhibit explores objects from Gunston Hall's collection which illuminate William Buckland’s life and career. These objects mainly relate to Buckland’s work at Gunston Hall. However, Buckland continued to have a distinguished career after leaving Gunston Hall, inspiring architects and fans alike.

This digital exhibit was curated by Gunston Hall's Collection Management Technician, Jenaveve Quigley. Women’s history month creates necessary space for individuals to consider the ways in which gender has impacted the institution of museums and the ways in which objects are viewed. Curators, scholars, and connoisseurs have historically analyzed objects used by mainly women differently than they have objects used by men. Objects associated with femininity like fans sparked debates on whether they were art or simply consumer goods. The black cat fan owned by Homoseille Mason, and featured in this collection, is one example of this debate. The hand painted cat was created by a well-known artist, and similar fans made their way into Queen Victoria’s court during the late 19th century. Yet these objects are only recently receiving scholarly attention. Their association with women and the similarity in design across many fans caused students of art both at the time and for years after to dismiss these fans as frivolities. However, as important as it is to seriously consider artifacts associated with women, many of these women also actively participated in colonialism, imperialism, and forced labor. Careful consideration of the labor involved in creating some of the beautiful objects in the current Gunston Hall collections reveal these connections. George Mason’s daughters, Sarah Anne Eilbeck (portrait featured in this digital exhibit) and Mary Thompson, received rings encrusted with rubies and diamonds. These demands and rubies were mostly likely mined in India, revealing the Mason sisters’ involvement in the British colonization of India during the 18th century, even as their father resisted British imperialism in North America.