Join us as we welcome George Washington to Raleigh!
Thursday, September 16, 2010
North Carolina Museum of History
Black Tie
George Washington is coming to the North Carolina Museum of History!
Colonial officers on horseback will wait outside the Museum on Bicentennial Plaza for the arrival of President Washington and the First Lady. Uniformed footman will guide gala attendees into the Museum to be greeted by the Washingtons and our honorary chairs.
The first floor of the Museum will be transformed into the manicured gardens of Mount Vernon. The third floor will be modeled after the formal dining room, and the second floor will beckon as the private VIP lounge with a Colonial flair.
The evening includes cocktails, period dancing and music, and a seated dinner. The raffle of a complete set of Mottahedah china in the "Tobacco Leaf" pattern will benefit the Associates George Washington lecture series.
Formal invitations to be mailed in August. Get your tickets early here.
Committee members are soliciting corporate participation as well as host committee members. You will want to be associated with this once-in-a-lifetime exhibit and gala to "Discover the Real George Washington." For more information, contact Billy Wilson at the Associates offices at 919-807-7849 or bwilson@ncmuseumassoc.com.
Discover the Real George Washington: New Views from Mount Vernon opens September 10 and will run through January 21, 2011. The NC Museum of History is the only venue in the Southeast to be selected for this exhibit, which will be a true blockbuster
The exhibit is organized by the Mount Vernon Ladies Association and funded by the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation.
Enter Our Raffle!
Tobacco Leaf, one of the most prized of Chinese Export patterns, was developed circa 1780, probably for the Portuguese and Brazilian markets, although examples have also been found in other European countries and in North America. The design shows the leaves of the flowering Nicotiana (Tobacco) plant upon which a small phoenix perches bearing a flowering twig in its beak. This exact reproduction requires twenty-eight colors including 22K gold and five firings to manufacture. The joyous exuberance of the Tobacco Leaf pattern is undiminished by time. The History Associates is pleased to raffle a complete set of eight, five-piece place settings at the Washington Gala on September 16. The retail value of Tobacco Leaf is approximately $500 per place setting. The Museum Shop will also have Colonial period china on sale in the shop during the George Washington exhibit.
Other raffle prizes include a Colonial reproduction mirror by Friedman Brothers and a Mount Vernon weathervane. Tickets are $100. All proceeds from the raffle go to fund the Associates' George Washington lecture series.
Photo Credit: Gilbert Stuart's famous portrait of George Washington, ca, 1798. Courtesy of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association.
