Passport Issued to Thomas Jefferson
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.Louis XVI signed this document at Versailles on September 18, 1789, a little more than two weeks before an angry mob forced the French royal family to return to Paris. The passport allowed Jefferson, who had served as American minister to France for four years, to travel home with his family, servants, belongings, and carriage.
Artwork Details
- Title: Passport Issued to Thomas Jefferson
- Author: Louis XVI, King of France (French, Versailles 1754–1793 Paris)
- Date: September 18, 1789
- Culture: French
- Medium: Brown and black ink on paper
- Dimensions: Unframed (must be shown either framed or in case): 13 1/8 × 9 3/8 in. (33.3 × 23.8 cm)
- Classification: Paper-Documents
- Credit Line: The Thomas Jefferson Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (Thomas Jefferson Papers, Box 37, Folder 1, Doc. 8824)
- Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts