G. Washington gets a makeover

Americans know George Washington as the dour founding father with white hair and ponytail depicted on U.S. currency, but most people have little idea what the nation’s first president really looked like beyond this stock image.

Researchers are hoping to change that by embarking on a massive detective hunt to flesh out his appearance in every detail. Specialists at Washington’s home in Mount Vernon, Va., are gathering dozens of artifacts including snippets of hair and clothing that will be analyzed over the next year.

Based on that information, they will make life-size models of the former president at three different points in his life that will go on display in 2006 as part of a new $85-million education center and museum at Mount Vernon.