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Lot Essay
According to family tradition, these mirrors were part of the furnishings of the White House during the term of President James Madison. Just prior to the 1814 fire, the mirrors were removed and placed on a ship headed towards Britain. When the ship was wrecked on the reefs off of Bermuda, the mirrors came into the Outerbridge family, one of the first forty families of Bermuda. The mirrors were thereafter passed down through the family to the present owner.
The family reports an extensive correspondence with Jackie Kennedy regarding the mirrors' White House provenance during the 1960s. In 1979, it was requested by Mr. Clement Conger, curator of the White House at the time, that these mirrors be donated to the collection.
As revealed through microanalysis, the mirror frames and carved ornament are made of white pine, confirming their American origin.
The family reports an extensive correspondence with Jackie Kennedy regarding the mirrors' White House provenance during the 1960s. In 1979, it was requested by Mr. Clement Conger, curator of the White House at the time, that these mirrors be donated to the collection.
As revealed through microanalysis, the mirror frames and carved ornament are made of white pine, confirming their American origin.