Marquis de Lafayette full length portrait
date: label: date made
content: 1824 or later
name: label: depicted (sitter)
content: Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert Du Motier Marquis de Lafayette
label: maker
content: Scheffer, Ary
notes: label: Description
content: Full length oil of Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier de La Fayette, the Marquis de Lafayette painted in 1818-1819 when he was 61 years old and had recently been elected to the Chamber of Deputie. The original portrait was created in Paris by emigrant artist Ary Scheffer (1795-1858) and exhibited at the 1819 Paris Salon. The marquis is clothed in simple, civilian, republican dress to reflect his political principles. He is wearing a long, brown, high collar outer coat with M-notched lapels is worn over a black buttoned coat, standing collar waistcoat, trousers and shoes; white collar with white knotted stock. The marquis is positioned in the center, standing three-quarters to the left in a hilly landscape with his left foot in front of his right, holding a hat and walking stick in his right hand as he looks to the left. The sky appears to be dark with a hint of sunset but the painting needs to be cleaned so the sky may not actually be dark under the old varnish. The original frame is gold gilt on pine.
label: Description
content: In 1822–23 Scheffer made two replicas, one for the marquis, and one to be presented to the American Congress, while Scheffer who was friendly with the marquis, retained the 1819 original. The American copy was shipped aboard the ship Cadmus in October 1824 and went on tour with the marquis, who had arrived August 1824 in America by invitation of James Monroe. The tour lasted until 1825 when the congressional copy of the portrait was hung in the House of Representatives. Numerous copies were made by a variety of artists both in America and abroad, not only of the full length version but also as a bust length copy. It was a testament to Lafayette's popularity.
label: Description
content: This painting is one of the copies made during the period. It is attributed to William Russell Birch. Birch was known to have created miniature bust versions of this portrait of enamel on copper for Lafayette's fiftieth anniversary tours commemoratives. He added the American flag in the background on these small souvenirs like the enamel at Yale University.
label: Description
content: William Russell Birch (1755-1834) was a miniature painter, landscape artist, a talented engraver, and designer. He was trained by jeweler Thomas Jeffrey and Sir Joshua Reynolds. He emigrated to Philadelphia in 1794 and was noted for his copies of Stuart portraits of Washington. He was also the father of Marine painter Thomas Birch.
label: Description
content: Ary Scheffer (1765-1809) was a member of a very artistic family. He was the son of portrait painter Johan Bernard Scheffer, a German born emigre to the Netherlands. His mother was Cornelia Lamme,a portrait miniaturist. His daughter Cornelia Scheffer was an artist and sculptor. His maternal grandfather was Arie Lamme, a Dutch landscape painter, and Ary's brother Hendrik also was an artist of note. His other brother was a journalist and politically active which is how the brothers befriended Lafayette. Scheffer began exhibiting at the Salon de Paris in 1812 and by 1846 he was an associate member of the Royal Institute of the Netherlands. He became a French citizen in November 1850 and died in 1858.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States
setName: label: See more items in
content: Home and Community Life: Domestic Life
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Arthur M. Greenwood
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: DL.388139
label: catalog number
content: 388139
label: accession number
content: 182022
objectType: label: Object Name
content: Painting
label: Object Name
content: painting
label: Other Terms
content: Painting; Pictures; Oil on Canvas; Portraits
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: paint, oil (image material)
label: Physical Description
content: canvas (image material)
label: Physical Description
content: pine, white (frame, stretchers, keys material)
label: Physical Description
content: gilt (frame material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 27 in x 20 in x 1 1/8 in; 68.58 cm x 50.8 cm x 2.8575 cm