James Madison's Montpelier 2018 House Restoration Montpelier_RestorationBooklet_PRESS | Page 3

Nelly ’s Dining Room
Furnished April 2016
N
elly’s Dining Room was furnished to illustrate Nelly dining
separately from the younger members of the family and their
guests. The room is arranged as if Nelly is enjoying the first course
of a meal, with the second course standing by on the sideboard
table. The furnishings in this space are a combination of Madison-
family objects, representative antiques, and reproductions. We
discovered the armchair of the set of Madison-family dining chairs
and were able to bring it back to Montpelier, thanks to a generous
gift from patriotic philanthropist David M. Rubenstein. All of the
food comes from a recipe book listed in James Madison Sr.’s
probate inventory.
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