James Madison’s Crystal Flute

According to its inscription, Charles Laurent made this crystal flute for President James Madison in 1813. Madison did not play the flute, but evidence suggests that it was an important family possession. The flute may have been among the family treasures rescued from the burning White House in 1814. Financial problems plagued the family after Madison left office. Dolley Madison was forced to sell the family home at Montpelier, Virginia, as well as Madison’s papers, but she did not sell the flute. It was later bequeathed to Dr. Cornelius Boyle. Physicist and amateur flutist Dayton C. Miller purchased it from Boyle’s heirs in 1923. Miller donated his collection of over 1,700 flutes and wind instruments to the Library. The Dayton C. Miller collection is the largest flute collection in the world.