George Washington Hook Pillow

George Washington hooked in wool on a dusty blue ground — heavy brows, long nose, cream cravat, black coat, and an expression somewhere between solemn and mildly alarmed. It's folk-naive on purpose, which is what keeps it from being kitschy.

A cherry sprig is embroidered in satin stitch at the left, a different hand from the hooking around it. That's the cherry tree — the one young George supposedly chopped down before admitting he could not tell a lie. The story was invented by a biographer after Washington's death and repeated until it became folklore, which makes it the right companion for a folk-art portrait: not the historical man, the story people tell about him.

Details

• Material: 100% wool hooked front, 100% velvet back
• What's included: Polyester insert with zipper closure — no separate insert to buy
• Dimensions: 18" x 18" square, 2.18 lb — a full-size throw pillow, substantial in the hand
• Palette: Dusty blue, cream, black, one red cherry
• Made in: China