Restoring Sarah Jackson’s Guitar at the Hermitage Mansion

by Raechel E. Willis 

A guitar owned by Sarah Yorke Jackson, daughter-in-law of Andrew Jackson, plays a significant role in the interpretation of the Jackson family at The Hermitage. Acquired in Philadelphia during her teenage years or young twenties in the 1820s or early 1830s, the exquisitely crafted guitar was a regular fixture that moved alongside its owner throughout her life journeys. The conservation of this instrument was funded in part by a Dean F. Failey Grant to the Andrew Jackson Foundation (AJF), thereby allowing the AJF to share it with nearly 200,000 visitors each year. Like many institutions, the AJF maintains a prioritized list of items that require restoration or conservation within their collection, spanning over 3,600 objects, and Sarah’s guitar was considered the top priority.

The instrument was a prized possession of Sarah’s that would become a treasured familial heirloom. She ensured it accompanied her and her husband, Andrew Jackson Jr., when they moved to the White House in 1831. A letter written by her presidential father-in-law later discussed the guitar’s inclusion among a group of Sarah’s cherished personal belongings that were sent to the Hermitage when the couple moved there in 1832, thus showcasing the family-wide knowledge of her special appreciation for the instrument. Receipts, along with notable replacements to certain elements of her guitar, further reflect the continued care and use of the item during Sarah’s lifetime.

Following Sarah’s death in 1887, the instrument was passed to her descendants, one of whom loaned the beloved heirloom to the AJF in 1934 along with several pieces of her sheet music. In 1959, the guitar was purchased and added to the permanent collection, receiving conservation work in the 1970s and 1980s. Through it all, the instrument was on display in the rear parlor of the Hermitage mansion, leaning against furniture.

Many of the repairs conducted by the luthier, Manuel Delgado, were ultimately necessary due to the manner in which Sarah’s guitar had been displayed, as the positioning deteriorated the structural integrity.

Although the conservation of the guitar proceeded as a straightforward project, the guitar’s age and condition prior to conservation necessitated additional considerations once work commenced. Some of the historically accurate repairs included repairing the back seam and top cracks, reattaching purfling to the top rear heel, tightening the top brace, reattaching the bridge and headstock binding, restoring missing inlay and fingerboard inlay, and replacing missing and non-period conforming frets.

Delgado was also asked to plan for display within the Hermitage. The original stand designed for the guitar did not account for the vibrations caused by the mansion’s HVAC system. As a result, the conservator modified the display stand to mitigate these vibrations and ensure the object’s long-term integrity.

Watch videos of the conservation process with Manuel Delgado at Delgado Guitars:

This guitar serves as a unique part of the AJF collection and bolsters efforts to preserve the American material culture connected to the Jackson family that is on display at the Hermitage.

Raechel E. Willis is the Collections Technician at the Andrew Jackson Foundation.