"George Washington's Cook"
Hercules
Hercules was born in 1754, and came to Mount Vernon in 1767
as part of payment owed George Washington. He went to work as the ferryman at
the Mansion.
It is not certain how he
made his way to the kitchen, but it was a blessing that he did.
Here he apprenticed to “Old Doll”, the
plantation’s chief cook who had come to Mount Vernon with Martha
Washington.
By 1786, Hercules had become
the chief cook at Mount Vernon.
Hercules was summoned to Philadelphia in November 1790 to
become now President George Washington’s personal cook. The clearest account of
Hercules as a chef was written by George Washington Parke Custis, President
Washington’s step grandson
“The chief cook would have been termed in modern parlance, a
celebrated artiste. He was named Hercules, and familiarly termed Uncle
Harkless.
Trained in the mysteries of his part from early youth, and
in the palmy days of Virginia, when her thousand chimneys smoked to indicate
the generous hospitality that reigned throughout the whole length and breadth
of her wide domain, Uncle Harkless was, at the period of the first presidency
(Philadelphia 1789-1797), as highly accomplished a proficient in the culinary
art as could be found in the United States.
He was a dark brown man, little, if any, above the usual
size, yet possessed of such great muscular power as to entitle him to be
compared with his namesake of fabulous history.
The chief cook gloried in the cleanliness and nicety of his
kitchen. Under his iron discipline,
(woe) to his underlings if speck or spot could be discovered on the
tables or dressers, or if the utensils did not shine like polished silver. With
the luckless wights (unfortunates) who had offended in these particulars there
was no arrest of punishment, for judgment and execution went hand in hand.
The steward, and indeed the whole household, treated the
chief cook with much respect, as well for his valuable services as for his
general good character and pleasing manners.
It was while preparing the Thursday or Congress dinner that
Uncle Harkless shone in all his splendor. During his labors upon this banquet
he required some half dozen aprons, and napkins out of number. It was
surprising the order and discipline that was observed in so bustling a scene.
His underlings flew in all directions to execute his orders, while he, the
great master-spirit, seemed to possess the power of ubiquity, and to be
everywhere at the same moment.
When the steward in snow-white apron, silk shorts and stockings,
and hair in full powder, placed the first dish on the table, the clock being on
the stroke of four, ‘the labors of Hercules’ ceased.
While the masters of the republic were engaged in discussing
the savory viands of the Congress dinner, the chief cook retired to make his
toilet for an evening promenade. His perquisites from the slops of the kitchen
were from one to two hundred dollars a year (about $5,000 in today’s money).
Though homely in person, he lavished the most of these large avails upon dress.
In making his toilet his linen was of unexceptionable whiteness and quality,
then black silk shorts, ditto waistcoat, ditto stockings, shoes highly
polished, with large buckles covering a considerable part of the foot, blue
cloth coat with velvet collar and bright metal buttons, a long watch-chain
dangling from his fob, a cocked-hat, and gold-headed cane completed the grand
costume of the celebrated dandy .. for there were dandies in those days.. of
the president's kitchen.
Thus arrayed, the chief cook invariably passed out at the
front door, the porter making a low bow, which was promptly returned.”
In November 1796, during a visit of the president and his
entourage to Mount Vernon, Hercules’ son was caught stealing. Washington
suspected that father and son were planning to run away. Washington was taking
no chances.
When Washington returned to
his presidential duties in Philadelphia, Hercules was left behind at Mount
Vernon reduced to the status of a common laborer on the farm, digging clay for
bricks, and wearing the outfit of a common field hand. This type of punishment,
a humiliating loss of status within the slave community itself, had been used
before by Washington to exert his authority over recalcitrant slaves.
It was Hercules, however, who was to have the last
word.
On
February 22, 1797, George Washington’s sixty
fifth birthday, Hercules made his bid for freedom, escaping from Mount Vernon
forever.
He first made his way to the
port city of Alexandria, some eight miles from Mount Vernon, then on to
Philadelphia where he had many friends in the free black community and among
the abolitionist Quakers.
Washington
was angered and confused by the actions of Hercules, believing that Hercules
lived a privileged life. On March
10, 1797, Washington indicated that he wanted Hercules to be found and returned
to Mount Vernon, as soon as possible.
This never happened. Hercules was
spotted in Philadelphia in January 1798, but no steps were taken to apprehend
him. Doing so would have created an
embarrassing uproar in abolitionist Pennsylvania. Hercules was last spotted on December 15,
1801 in New York City.
On November
13, 1797, a distressed Washington stated that while he “had resolved never to
become the master of another slave by purchase,” because of Hercules' absence,
“this resolution I fear I must break.”
Although
Hercules vanishes from recorded history on December 15, 1801, there is some
evidence that he may have made his way to Europe. In the galleries of Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, located near
the Prado Museum in what is known as Madrid’s “Golden Triangle of Art”, hangs a
portrait called “George Washington’s Cook”, and is presumed to be
Hercules. The painting was previously in
a British collection, and a French collection, before making its’ way to
Spain. The painting is by Gilbert
Stuart, the American artist who painted many of the iconic likenesses of George
Washington, including the portrait that appears on every one dollar bill. These paintings were completed between
1795-1797.
The question is “Who commissioned
the painting and why?” It is unlikely
that Washington commissioned the painting, for even though Washington bestowed
many favors on Hercules, theirs’ was a strictly master/servant relationship. Commissioning such a painting of Hercules, a
full and solitary frontal picture of the man in the full confidence of his
chef’s regalia, would have been totally out of keeping with Washington’s
character. Hercules may have
spent some his hard earned money on commissioning a portrait of himself from
the very same artist who had been commissioned to paint a portrait of George
Washington. This remains one of history’s mysteries.
These are the often overlooked stories of early America.
Stories such as the roots of racism in America, famous murders that rocked the
colonies, the scandalous doings of some of the most famous of the Founding
Fathers, the first Emancipation Proclamation that got revoked, and stories of
several notorious generals who have been swept under history’s rug.
Neither Martha
Washington nor the women of the South’s leading families were marble statues,
they had the same strengths and weaknesses, passions and problems, joys and
sorrows, as the women of any age. So
just how did they live?
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