In tandem with the 2020 Virtual Fall Benefit for the Mount Vernon Hotel Museum (MVHM), The Colonial Dames of America (CDA) is releasing images of the Museum’s interior rooms which can be used as Zoom backgrounds for participants to this event as well as other online meetings.

MVHM is an accredited museum solely owned and operated by CDA located in New York City. Learn more about the MVHM. 

How to set up an image as your background on Zoom:

1. Right click on the desired image and select “Save image as…” from the drop-down menu. (Note: for some Macs, you will need to press “Ctrl” and click)
2. Save the photo somewhere on your computer where you can easily find it.
3. Follow the official instructions from Zoom to use the image as a background. (and review system requirements)

Ladies’ Parlor

In the early 19th century, men and women engaged in separate leisure activities during their visits to day hotels. At the Mount Vernon Hotel, women would have spent their leisure time primarily upstairs in this double parlor. It was the most elaborately decorated of the Hotel’s rooms and featured areas for sewing, reading, writing, taking tea, as well as playing and listening to music.

Upper Hall

This room served as a gathering place for men and women and could also have been used for musical entertainment or dining. Hotel visitors could have stepped out onto the adjoining balcony to enjoy sweeping landscape and river views.

Kitchen

This kitchen would have been a hub of activity with workers preparing meals for up to forty guests at a time. Cooking took place in the open hearth and the cookstove. Kitchen tasks extended beyond cooking and baking to bringing in water, canning, washing/ironing, and tending to the herb garden.

Tavern Room

While the ladies were upstairs, gentlemen would have spent time downstairs. The Tavern was a place where they could enjoy spirits and ale, chew tobacco, read newspapers, and argue about the politics of the day. In addition to the Hotel’s day guests, it was also open to men who would arrive on horseback, entering through a through a side door, to partake in beverages and discussion as well.

Gentlemen’s Parlor

This was a quieter room option for male guests where they could play cards or other games, write letters, and conduct business while enjoying libations from the bar. Establishments like the Mount Vernon Hotel would have traditionally displayed portraits of the country’s heroes like the one of George Washington featured here.