PAST EXHIBITION

The Marquis de Lafayette Visiting the State Capitol in Raleigh in March 1825

lithograph depicting man, woman and child viewing monument of George Washington

Albert Newsam (1809–1864), after Joseph Weisman (act. 1840s) and Emanuel Leutze (1816–1868)
The Marquis de Lafayette Visiting the State Capitol in Raleigh in March 1825, 1840s
Lithograph on paper
34 1/2 x 28 1/2 in. (876 x 724 mm)
North Carolina Museum of History, Raleigh
Courtesy of the North Carolina Museum of History

 

This print commemorating the visit of the Marquis de Lafayette to Raleigh in March 1825 is the only visual record of the George Washington in the rotunda of the State House. Lafayette had known Washington well, and an eyewitness at the time stated that the marquis thought that “the likeness was so much better than he expected to see.” Unfortunately, this print was produced at least ten years after the marble sculpture was destroyed, so the representation of Canova’s sculpture and of the architectural space is not accurate.

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