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John Gadsby, seen here in a 1840 painting by his grandson John Gadsby Chapman, is the best-known of the tavern’s many proprietors. The collection also includes a matching portrait of John Gadsby’s third wife, Providence.

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John Gadsby listed coal grates in his 1802 inventory. This cast iron grate has a long tradition of association with the Tavern and may have belonged to Gadsby. It is a rare survival. Ornamented with a variety of neo-classical decorations, it offers valuable evidence about the style of heating equipment in the Tavern and suggests ways in which the latest fashionable designs were introduced to Alexandrians.

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These two objects, made in France from silver fused to a copper base, are both engraved with Gadsby’s name. This was done in an inconspicuous manner for identification purposes. The monteith and the dish cover represent the type of decorative but practical items which helped John Gadsby make a name for himself and his tavern.

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The ballroom was an important component in the success of Gadsby’s Tavern. Among the decorative features of the room were a pair of looking glasses for which John Gadsby paid John Wise $80. This is the type of mirror that might have originally hung in the Ballroom. Paint analysis indicates that the earliest paint color was white with gilt decoration.