US Route 1, Monticello, Maine.
139 notes
·
View notes
Do you know why Jefferson place a bust of Hamilton in his entrance way? Or why he even had one at the very first place?
According to one of Jefferson's grandchildren;
After gazing a moment at these objects, the eye settled with a deeper interest on busts of Jefferson and Hamilton, by Ceracchi, placed on massive pedestals on each side of the main entrance “opposed in death as in life,” as the surviving original sometimes remarked, with a pensive smile, as he observed the notice they attracted.
Randall, Henry Stephens. The Life of Thomas Jefferson. United States, Derby & Jackson, 1858.
[Jefferson, Randolph, and Trist Family Papers, 1791-1874, #5385-ac, University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, Va.]
When a guest had questioned the scenery, Jefferson wryly replied that they were “opposed in death as in life.” [x] But despite the vague phrasing, he never gave more of a reason. It is believed by some that it was a metaphor for Hamilton's and Jefferson's divide, yet essentiality in the building of America. Or Jefferson found it amusing, as it is said that his bust was on a green marble pedestal decorated with the signs of the zodiac and the twelve tribes of Israel, towering over Hamilton's. Although Jefferson's bust doesn't survive to this today, but we have a small description of it;
This rough pencil sketch, made by an unknown hand on the verso of a retained copy of a letter written by Jefferson's grandson Thomas Jefferson Randolph in December 1826, is the only extant image of a bust of Jefferson that Giuseppe Ceracchi modeled from life in Philadelphia sometime after 2 Mch. 1791. He intended to incorporate it, with other likenesses of prominent Ameri- cans, into a large monument that was never completed. In Florence during 1793 the artist transformed his original terra cotta study of Jefferson into a larger-than-life bust in marble, writing to Jefferson on 11 Mch. 1794 to report the work was finished.
Jefferson, Thomas. The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, Volume 28: 1 January 1794 to 29 February 1796. United States, Princeton University Press, 2018.
We luckily still have Hamilton's to this day, stylized in a Roman form by Giuseppe Ceracchi. When Ceracchi took a visit to the US in 1791-92, he proposed a monument in honor of the Revolution and appealed to Congress to finance the project. Ceracchi had attempted to raise the funds for the memorial, and Jefferson endorsed him and told Robert Livingston that he was; “a very celebrated sculptor from Rome.” [x] But unfortunately, Congress closed the proposal on May 7th, 1792.
Today, Jefferson's bust has been replaced with a copy that you can find at Monticello.
59 notes
·
View notes
Today’s final jeopardy was literally “Which president lived at ‘little mountain’?”
Everyone got it wrong 😑
7 notes
·
View notes
Xcel says they discovered the leak back in November. Good thing we are just hearing about this now.
The estimated cleanup could take a year.
73 notes
·
View notes
Highway 1258, Monticello, Kentucky.
87 notes
·
View notes
From Thomas Jefferson's porch. The east side of Monticello. 10-28-23
10 notes
·
View notes
Thomas Jefferson's Life Mask De-aged.
See the de-aged life mask of Thomas Jefferson alongside the original life mask cast at the age of 82, and a Photoshop reconstruction of the life mask.
The initial life mask depicts Jefferson with a stern expression, with thin lips and a slight frown, and a furrowed brow. Despite being 82 years old, he exhibited remarkably few wrinkles, possibly influenced by the material used for the cast. At the time of the life mask casting, Jefferson retained all of his teeth except for one.
Although the original life mask provides a exact likeness of Jefferson's facial features, the de-aged portrait may not perfectly capture his appearance during his younger years.
See more life mask reconstructions of historical figures at yarbs.net.
11 notes
·
View notes