[Jefferson, Thomas]:

$1,750 · Offered by William Reese Company

THOMAS JEFFERSON [caption title]. A brief biography accompanied by a large portrait of Thomas Jefferson, printed in Paris shortly after the former president's death. The portrait, lithographed by Charles Motte after an original by Mauzaisse, is part of a series under the title Contemporains Étrangers ou Recueil Iconographique des Étrangers les plus Célèbres dans la Politique, la Guerre, les Lettres, les Sciences et les Arts depuis 1790 jusqu'a nos Jours. Published in parts from 1826-28, it consists of brief biographies, folio portraits, and facsimile handwriting samples of turn-of-the-century notables from around the world, including entries for Americans such as George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and John Adams, as well as Horatio Nelson, Princess Charlotte of Wales, and Tipu Sultan of Mysore. The text of the biography (written in French), covers not only Jefferson's political career, but his work as an author and as founder of the University of Virginia. The artist, Jean-Baptiste Mauzaisse, did much of his painting on behalf of the French government, including the decorations for the personal apartments of Louis XVIII. While unlikely to have been painted from life, this portrait of the former president is not obviously based on another artist's work, though in dress at least Jefferson most closely resembles the famous profile of Saint-Mémin. In addition to the text and portrait here, there is a lithographic facsimile of an autograph letter written by Thomas Jefferson to

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