Conditions Governing Access

This collection is currently closed to researchers outside of MVLA staff.

Preferred Citation

[Name and date of item], Licensing Department Files, Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington [hereafter Washington Library], Mount Vernon, Virginia

See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.

Biographical / Historical

During the MVLA Council in 1991, the Ad Hoc Product Marketing Committee recommended hiring a new professional to oversee estate's licensing program, saying the goals of this program were "to generate a revenue base outside the estate." They continued, saying "licensing presents a financially effective way to expand on revenues; to heighten public awareness of Mount Vernon; to create additional exposure for Mount Vernon and its programs; and to expose the public to and educate them in the fine examples of 18th-century decorative arts." The committee presented a written "philosophy" for a licensing program with a budget and work program. The report recommended the creation of a licensing department to help "generate additional income and reduce the reliance on admission and related revenues." Beverly Addington was hired as the Director of Licensing and Product Development in early 1992. Her previous experience included working at the Smithsonian Institution. Her role was to coordinate with the librarian, the curator, and gift shop managers to research Mount Vernon's collections for potential museum reproduction pieces to sell in the shops. Ms. Addington also formed relationships with companies and manufacturers to use the name "Mount Vernon" on collections of paint, wallpapers, rugs, etc. with the estate receiving royalties from the sale of these products. The responsibilities for her position were described in the 1992 Minutes as: "assessing the collection and finding potential objects; interviewing manufacturers and researching their strengths and weaknesses; creating sketches and designs; reviewing current markets and areas of special consumer interest; negotiating contracts and obtaining advance permissions; setting terms of license agreements; assessing prototypes, a most important decision-point; and marketing of finished items, which is the responsibility of the licensee." Ms. Addington continued in this role until 2016 when she retired. Throughout her 24 years as Director of Licensing, she negotiated contracts and agreements with multiple companies to produce furniture, textiles, china, jewelry, and many other items inspired by Mount Vernon's collections, or the Mansion and grounds. After her retirement, the licensing program was absorbed into the estate's retail operations.

Scope and Contents

This collection is made up of paper records and a large portion of special formats including sample products, photographs, blueprint drawings, and large research binders. The paper files consist of contracts, product development and research files, marketing material, and correspondence with companies or manufacturers. Inclusive date range is 1982-2014.

Arrangement

The paper records are broken down into five series, with addenda of special formats described at the end. Following the structure and organization of the creator, the content of each series is listed alphabetically and then chronologically when appropriate. Description of the addenda is based on physical housing, size, location, etc.

Series 1. Contracts Series 2. Correspondence Series 3. General Series 4. Legal Series 5. Royalties Addenda: Binders, Drawings, Photographs, Product Samples

Related Material

Other records pertaining to the licensing program at Mount Vernon may be found in the following collections: Council Minutes of the MVLA; Papers of the MVLA; Papers of James Rees