The Smithsonian Institution is custodian of two important collections of Washington memorabilia. One came from the Lewis family in direct descent from Eleanor Parke Custis Lewis, granddaughter of Martha Washington and adopted child of Mount Vernon, and other from the Peter family in direct descent from Martha Parke Custis Peter, also a granddaughter of Martha Washington. Important pieces had been added from other private collectors to these rich holdings through the years. As there had been no major George Washington exhibition in many years, and never one by the Smithsonian Inistitution, it seemed appropriate to suggest that we present an exhibition which would assess George Washington--both the myth and the man--in terms of modern historiography. -- Preface.