The 'Dolley Madison' Very Fine Federal Inlaid and Figured Mahogany, Birchwood and Rosewood Serpentine Games Table, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, circa 1805

As a First Lady, Mrs. Madison was celebrated for her vibrant personality and her gracious hospitality. In comparison to her predecessors, Dolley Madison approached the First Ladyship in a more public-facing manner as an acclaimed hostess, which paved the way for the highly visible role of the First Lady today. Her most notable accomplishment was her safe removal of important documents, silver, and art, including a large portrait of George Washington by Gilbert Stuart, when the British burned the White House during the War of 1812.

Her younger sister, Anna Payne (1779-1832) married Richard Cutts, a Republican congressman from Maine and later Comptroller of the Treasury. The Madisons did not have children and Dolley doted on her nieces and nephews, including James Madison Cutts (1805-1863); Dolley Madison Cutts (1811-1838); Mary E. E. Cutts (1814-1856); and Richard Dominicus Cutts (1817-1883). In 1845, Richard married the niece of Thomas Jefferson, Martha Jefferson Hackley. It was at the occasion of their marriage, according to family history, that Dolley bequeathed her card table to the newlywed couple.

In 1870, the couple's daughter, Anne Gertrude Cutts, married the founding president of the NAACP, Moorefield Storey, and it was their son, Richard Cutts Storey, who inherited the card table. It remained in the family until it was sold at Northeast Auctions, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, August 4, 2006, lot 1098.