[Marquis de Lafayette, 1757-1834, full-length portrait, in street clothes, facing left]

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The Marquis de Lafayette, the French aristocrat who fought for the American cause in the Revolutionary War, appears here full-length and in ordinary street clothes rather than a military uniform, a choice that sets this engraving apart from many of the martial likenesses made of him. He is shown facing left, and the record gives no date or engraver, so the exact year of its making remains uncertain. Prints of Lafayette circulated widely in both France and the United States, especially after his return to the American stage in 1824 and 1825, when a grand tour of the young nation renewed public affection for him. Portraits like this one were often sold to admirers who wanted a likeness of the man as a civic hero rather than a soldier alone.

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