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Because the ornaments mentioned in the letter were being ordered from Washington and not being made on site, it was assumed that Dinsmore was asking for ornaments made out of composition.  Composition ornaments are made from a dough-like mixture of chalk, linseed oil, resin and hide glue that is pressed into molds and then allowed to dry.  They were popular from ca. 1790 through to about 1835, although you can still order then today from specialty suppliers.  The Restoration Team also knew that President Madison was ordering other composition ornaments, including the egg-and-dart molding found in the Drawing Room’s cornice, from a well known early 19th century composition maker named George Andrews.  Andrews was also the only documented composition maker in Washington, DC, so the probability of him making the “patrins” that Dinsmore writes Madison for is very high.

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Egg-and-dart composition ornament found on the Drawing Room cornice.  This ornament was made by George Andrews.