The Wealth within their Homes
Washington and Mason both had wealth written from the inside to the outside of their homes. Given that they were both very important members of society, their assets needed to match their significance. Both employed European designs, particularly French and British designs. These ideas were spread during a period when individuals from Europea were heavily migrating and settling in the Chesapeake area between the years of 1607 and 1830. The design ideas that were disseminated from Europe to the Chesapeake were combinations of "Old World models and New World conditions" (Carson 48). Mount Vernon overlooks the Potomac River, which is connected to the Chesapeake Bay. Thus, Mount Vernon was heavily influenced by British designs. On the other hand, Gunston Hall was built by George Mason "with the aid of British carpenter William Buckland and carver William Bernard Sears" (60). According to the researchers in Chesapeake House, there were often "many entertainment rooms on ground floors" per British design (72). Both Gunston Hall and Mount Vernon placed entertainment rooms on the ground floor, while residents' rooms were on the upper-level. However, in Gunston Hall, Mason's wife lived downstairs near the stairs to monitor the activity of servants. Her room was across the "Palladian" Room, which also involved an important British design. Specifically, this room was painted yellow. This was an entertainment room, where residents and guests were often served. The yellow paint makes it obvious that a servant is coming to directly serve the resident and their guests. Similarly, in Mount Vernon, there is a bedroom upstairs that has yellow paint. In the room, there is a bell system where servants can be alerted quickly if the resident is in need. The resident will be able to easily see the shadow of a servant coming their way to tend to their needs. These design characteristics suggest the heavy reliance that these two founding fathers had on servants. Washington employed a greater amount of technologies to alert servants, which suggests he had a greater amount of servants than Mason, along with a heavier reliance.