Image Gallery
The images in our image database are for editorial use by media on assignment, only. To obtain high-resolution images, please cite the image number obtained from the caption of the appropriate image in an email to Elizabeth Loring at 
All photos on this page are copyright 2008 The Montpelier Foundation, all rights reserved.
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Image 1: Before Restoration. This 2002 pre-restoration photograph of Montpelier shows the massive additions made by William duPont after he purchased the property in 1901. Courtesy of The Montpelier Foundation.
Image 2: During the restoration. During the restoration, the house was covered in scaffolding and plastic. Courtesy of The Montpelier Foundation.
Image 3: After restoration. In April 2006 Montpelier's exterior restoration was largely completed, with the mansion once again appearing as it did in James and Dolley Madison's day. Courtesy of The Montpelier Foundation.
Image 4: Before restoration. Notice the gray paint on the walls indicating the architectural features of the Madison era. Mansion interior before restoration during the National Trust ownership. Courtesy of The Montpelier Foundation.
Image 5: Before restoration. The hallway that, before the duPont additions, was the study in which Madison died. Mansion interior before restoration and during the National Trust ownership. Courtesy of The Montpelier Foundation.
Image 6: "The Room Madison Died In." The current state of the restoration. Courtesy of The Montpelier Foundation.
Image 7: Deconstruction of the duPont additions. Courtesy of The Montpelier Foundation.
Image 8: During deconstruction of the duPont additions. Courtesy of The Montpelier Foundation.
Image 9: Exterior restoration began by stripping off stucco that had been applied over the outer brick walls. Courtesy of The Montpelier Foundation.
Image 10: The house was open for public tours daily throughout the restoration process. Courtesy of The Montpelier Foundation.
Image 11: During the restoration, visitors had an opportunity to see the skeletal framework of the building. In this guest bedchamber there was exposed original historic brickwork on the walls and the original split lath on the ceiling. Courtesy of The Montpelier Foundation.
Image 12: Restoring the exterior. Courtesy of The Montpelier Foundation.
Image 13: A brightly colored decorative wall painting that includes sassafras leaves was uncovered on the second-story north wall of the original house. Courtesy of The Montpelier Foundation.
Image 14: Detail—A brightly colored decorative wall painting that includes sassafras leaves was uncovered on the second-story north wall of the original house. Courtesy of The Montpelier Foundation.
Image 15: Craftsman seen through the basement window of a wing. Courtesy of The Montpelier Foundation.
Image 16: Pre-restoration detail of the pediment fretwork above the front dooryway. Courtesy of The Montpelier Foundation.
Image 17: A broken silver candle extinguisher, found behind a wall (seen here still in place), reveals a little about Madison-era decorative arts. Courtesy of The Montpelier Foundation.
Image 18: Detail—A broken silver candle extinguisher, found behind a wall, reveals a little about Madison-era decorative arts. Courtesy of The Montpelier Foundation.
Image 19: A mouse nest discovered behind a wall contained a scrap of paper with Madison's handwriting, newspaper (giving the exact date!), and pieces of fabric and wallpaper paint were found behind baseboards and trim. Courtesy of The Montpelier Foundation.
Image 20: A scrap from the mouse's nest in Madison's own handwriting, with the words "Mother would." Courtesy of The Montpelier Foundation.
Image 21: Paint analysis helped reveal the Madison period chair rail profiles on the side of window and door architraves. The data uncovered allowed restoration craftsmen to accurately recreate these decorative elements. Courtesy of The Montpelier Foundation.
Image 22: Previous owners had cut back the stone fireplace surround in the drawing room to install a modern marble mantle. Master mason Ray Canetti carves the egg-and-dart pattern into St. Bede's sandstone (Cumbria, England). Courtesy of The Montpelier Foundation.
Image 23: Previous owners had cut back the stone fireplace surround in the drawing room to install a modern marble mantle. Master mason Ray Canetti carves the egg-and-dart pattern into St. Bede's sandstone (Cumbria, England). Courtesy of The Montpelier Foundation.
Image 24: Master mason Wayne Mays pulls a screed along the capital of one of the portico columns. The screed helps to create a smooth, consistent surface by removing excess stucco. Courtesy of The Montpelier Foundation.
- #2
Image 25: While changing the front passageway back to Madison's design, the crew discovered the "Venetian" sidelights flanking the front door were actually window sashes that slid down into pockets below. Courtesy of The Montpelier Foundation.
Image 26: The mansion shingles, made from old-growth cypress, were hand-picked and installed with care. Courtesy of The Montpelier Foundation.
Image 27: The old mansion shingles, made from old-growth cypress, were found in the attic during restoration. They revealed the roof was a fan teardrophip and swept valley. Courtesy of The Montpelier Foundation.
Image 28: The completed roof. Courtesy of The Montpelier Foundation.
Image 29: The completed roof, with the framing portico deck and stairs in place. Courtesy of The Montpelier Foundation.
Image 30: HVAC bunker construction. Electrical, HVAC, and security systems are hidden in the massive underground bunker behind the home. Courtesy of The Montpelier Foundation.
Image 31: HVAC bunker construction. Electrical, HVAC, and security systems are hidden in the massive underground bunker behind the home. Courtesy of The Montpelier Foundation.
Image 32: Installing the Chinese railing on the roof wing terraces. Courtesy of The Montpelier Foundation.
Image 33: Mack Ward installs a cellar window. Courtesy of The Montpelier Foundation.
Image 34: Mason Wayne Mays lathing the ceiling of one of the second floor chambers. The lath, thin wooden strips used to attach plaster to ceilings and frame partitions, is the first step in the plastering process. Courtesy of The Montpelier Foundation.
Image 35: Gene Lyman installing the cap for the wainscot in "Nelly's Best Room." Courtesy of The Montpelier Foundation.
Image 36: Keith Forry is installing the baseboards for the North Wing, East and West closets. Courtesy of The Montpelier Foundation.
Image 37: Austin Antrim installing the chair rail in the North Wing Chamber. Courtsy of The Montpelier Foundation.
Image 38: A detail of the mantelpiece in the North Wing Room. Courtesy of The Montpelier Foundation.
Image 39: To prepare for plastering, the gypsum finish coat found over sections of surviving c. 1850s plaster was removed to ensure that the plaster will be able to "breathe" and not trap the moisture in the walls. Courtesy of The Montpelier Foundation.
Image 40: Following period recipes, George Dempsey adds horsehair to lime and sand to give tensile strength to the scratch coat plaster. Courtesy of The Montpelier Foundation.
Image 41: The walls and ceiling of the large bedroom are being covered with a "scratch coat" of plaster. Courtesy of The Montpelier Foundation.
Image 42: The plaster "scratch coat" on one of the upstairs bedrooms. Courtesy of The Montpelier Foundation.
Image 43: Tim Proffitt and Robby Kolb use trowels to apply the ceiling finish coat of plaster in the upper passage of the Period II house. Courtesy of The Montpelier Foundation.
Image 44: Dino Copeland prepares the large bedroom for painting. Courtesy of The Montpelier Foundation.
Image 45: The restored mantelpiece in the large bedroom. Courtesy of The Montpelier Foundation.
Image 46: Greg Galloway priming the woodwork in the Dining Room. Courtesy of The Montpelier Foundation.
Image 47: Dolley's kitchen in the basement, during restoration. Courtest of The Montpelier Foundation.
Image 48: Pavers being laid on floor of Dolley's kitchen, using the herringbone pattern discovered by archaeologists. Courtesy of The Montpelier Foundation.
- #3
Image 49: Dolley's kitchen after plastering. Courtesy of The Montpelier Foundation.
Image 50: A tour group examines reproductions of presidental portraits in the drawing room, placed there to help curators investigate their original positions. Courtesy of The Montpelier Foundation.
Image 51: Radiant heating piping laid out for the floor of Nelly's kitchen. Courtesy of The Montpelier Foundation.
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