Martha Washington

I know, Martha Washington sounds like a really random person to blog about on a primarily gardening blog.  But, hear me out!

I was reading an old (not very old, this past March) Smithsonian I got from the free pile at the library, and there was an article about Martha Washington.  Not as the first First Lady, but as a woman, what she herself was like and what she liked.  

It mentioned how we usually picture Martha as an older woman, a bit round, wearing a cap, because that's what she looked like when her portrait was painted by Gilbert Stuart.  She was 65 at the time. 

Portraits of her as a thinner, younger woman show her in quite fashionable, low-cut, expensive clothing.  A few of her dresses are still around, and one is the reason for this post.  

all photos: https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_1089608

Now, that looks like a fine dress for a fine woman to be wearing in the 1780's, right?  Well, take a look at close-ups of the fabric pattern!

That's right, it's a pattern of insects, spiders, and even grubs!  Why?

The Smithsonian article quotes a historian of material culture who believes that Martha Washington was a closet (my word) naturalist!  As a woman living in her era, she would have been unable to be a true naturalist, as that was reserved for men.  This dress is not the only hint that the theory may be true.  Martha also had cushions she (with help from her "enslaved" women) made with seashell designs, and one of her surviving personal books is 12 Months of Flowers, which she valued enough to hang onto from her first marriage. 

I enjoy nature, but draw the line wearing clothing of spider, grub, and beetle fabric!