May
21

May 19, 1883

May 19, 1883 The relics of George Washington and other distinguished persons are transferred from the Commissioner of Patents to the National Museum. Included is the Colonel Lewis collection of Washington relics, purchased for $12,000 by Congressional appropriation, and never previously unpacked. Among the objects in the Lewis collection are two portraits of George and Martha Washington, painted by John Trumbull, considered among the choicest treasures of American art.

Courtesy of Smithsonian Institution Archives

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Posted: 21 May 2012
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