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Jeffersonian America
Jefferson on Display: Attire, Etiquette, and the Art of Presentation
When we think of Thomas Jefferson, a certain picture comes to mind for some of us, combining his physical appearance with our perception of his character. During Jefferson’s lifetime this image was already taking shape, helped along by his own assiduous cultivation. In Jefferson on Display, G. S. Wilson draws on a broad array of sources to show how Jefferson fashioned his public persona to promote his political agenda. During his long career, his image shifted from cosmopolitan intellectual to man of the people. As president he kept friends and foes he might appear unpredictably in old, worn, and out-of-date clothing with hair unkempt, yet he could as easily play the polished gentleman in a black suit, as he hosted small dinners in the President’s House that were noted for their French-inspired food and fine European wines. Even in retirement his image continued to evolve, as guests at Monticello reported being met by the Sage clothed in rough fabrics that he proudly claimed were created from his own merino sheep, leading Americans by example to manufacture their own clothing, free of Europe. By paying close attention to Jefferson’s controversial clothing choices and physical appearance--as well as his use of portraiture, architecture, and the polite refinements of dining, grooming, and conversation--Wilson provides invaluable new insight into this perplexing founder.
308 pages, Paperback
Published September 28, 2022
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January 31, 2025
Book was read as an extra assignment for me as a grad student taking and undergrad class. (Also to preface, this was the review I wrote for class. I got a 98/100.)
Former Shanon Senior Historian at the Robert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies Gaye S. Wilson offers readers a detailed look into the self-presentation of Thomas Jefferson in her book Jefferson on Display: Attire, Etiquette, and the Art of Presentation. Using her experience as a costume historian and clothing designer, Wilson takes a deep look at Jefferson’s portraits to present a different approach to understand Jefferson as a person. Her book aims to show how Jefferson created and managed images of himself to present and change out “as needed to compliment his political goals” (p. 2). Wilson attempts to decipher how and why Jefferson created and managed to self-fashion his public image, offering another approach to viewing the controversial Thomas Jefferson.
Wilson organizes this book in a chronological order, starting with Jefferson’s arrival in Paris in 1784 to his death at his Monticello home in 1826. There are eight chapters organized into four parts. Part one discusses his time in Europe as the American plenipotentiary to France and how he observed Parisian culture and fashion. She dives into his immediate purchase of French clothing to fit in and adhere to French royal court appearances. Part two looks at Jefferson in U.S. politics in the 1790s and how he navigated his self-image and mastered the politics of self-presentation. She lays down how Jefferson clung to his French fashion when he came back to the United States but shifted to more of an ordinary appearance.
Moving into part three and his presidency, Wilson highlights how Jefferson applied the image he created of himself to his politics and to bolster his administration’s policies, highlighting his attention to maintaining his image as president. Finally with part four, the author then leads readers to Jefferson’s retirement, when he started to formulate and create his historical and political legacies for the future generations. Using material culture for her primary sources for her analysis (paintings, records of expenditure, letters, journals, and plenty of other examples, Wilson presents how Jefferson immediately fashioned himself to fit into French court protocol. When he returned to America, those fashions stuck to his image until he entered the national political stage in the United States. Then, he shifted his image to that of an ordinary U.S. citizen, wearing clothes that were handspun and made in the United States, creating an image that says he was “a man of the people” (p. 106).
Wilson offers an interesting approach in examining who Thomas Jefferson was. She offers readers an in depth and intriguing look at how Jefferson attempted to influence the future generations’ understanding of him and his legacies, especially with her use of the paintings he had commissioned of himself and other figures, his Monticello home, and even his obelisk and the epitaph engraved on it. Her inclusion of the actual images she references is noteworthy to mention, as it assisted with the analysis she provides with each one. For example, her look at the study for The Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776 by John Trumball shows readers that Thomas Jefferson was placed prominently front and center in the piece, which signifies his importance to that defining moment in history (even if the date he chose did not exactly match when the presentation of the Declaration draft to Congress first happened) (p. 58) In addition to her analysis, Wilson does well in making the book accessible to readers as well with the historical context flooding this book.
However, while it is helpful to some degree, the background and context Wilson includes in Jefferson on Display does hinder and hide her analysis on Jefferson’s self-presentation. At times it felt like the book reads more as just a history of Jefferson rather than her focus on his image and presentation of himself. Her purpose and focus gets lost in the abundance of information she provides, bogging down the reading and making it hard to follow at times. Her writing style also amplifies this issue within Jefferson on Display, with the frequent long sentences and overly complicated wording at times, making it difficult to read and digest her work and purpose of the book. On the more nitpicky side, the material used for the paperback edition of Jefferson on Display is not ideal for people who are heavily into marking up their books. Along with the almost glossy pages, the soft page covering gets easily ruined despite minimal manhandling of the text.
Jefferson on Display: Attire, Etiquette, and the Art of Presentation by Gaye Wilson is a detailed look into Thomas Jefferson’s purposeful use of self-presentation to cultivate various public images for different audiences. While heavy in historical background, it is a worthwhile read to those interested in Jefferson history and history around fashion and culture. Jefferson on Display provides a look at Jefferson through material culture means and Wilson’s analysis gives readers a means to digest the purposefulness Jefferson had in cultivating his own image. With her use of material items like paintings and spending records, Wilson offers readers a glimpse into who Jefferson was and how he played a role in his own memory and legacies.
Former Shanon Senior Historian at the Robert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies Gaye S. Wilson offers readers a detailed look into the self-presentation of Thomas Jefferson in her book Jefferson on Display: Attire, Etiquette, and the Art of Presentation. Using her experience as a costume historian and clothing designer, Wilson takes a deep look at Jefferson’s portraits to present a different approach to understand Jefferson as a person. Her book aims to show how Jefferson created and managed images of himself to present and change out “as needed to compliment his political goals” (p. 2). Wilson attempts to decipher how and why Jefferson created and managed to self-fashion his public image, offering another approach to viewing the controversial Thomas Jefferson.
Wilson organizes this book in a chronological order, starting with Jefferson’s arrival in Paris in 1784 to his death at his Monticello home in 1826. There are eight chapters organized into four parts. Part one discusses his time in Europe as the American plenipotentiary to France and how he observed Parisian culture and fashion. She dives into his immediate purchase of French clothing to fit in and adhere to French royal court appearances. Part two looks at Jefferson in U.S. politics in the 1790s and how he navigated his self-image and mastered the politics of self-presentation. She lays down how Jefferson clung to his French fashion when he came back to the United States but shifted to more of an ordinary appearance.
Moving into part three and his presidency, Wilson highlights how Jefferson applied the image he created of himself to his politics and to bolster his administration’s policies, highlighting his attention to maintaining his image as president. Finally with part four, the author then leads readers to Jefferson’s retirement, when he started to formulate and create his historical and political legacies for the future generations. Using material culture for her primary sources for her analysis (paintings, records of expenditure, letters, journals, and plenty of other examples, Wilson presents how Jefferson immediately fashioned himself to fit into French court protocol. When he returned to America, those fashions stuck to his image until he entered the national political stage in the United States. Then, he shifted his image to that of an ordinary U.S. citizen, wearing clothes that were handspun and made in the United States, creating an image that says he was “a man of the people” (p. 106).
Wilson offers an interesting approach in examining who Thomas Jefferson was. She offers readers an in depth and intriguing look at how Jefferson attempted to influence the future generations’ understanding of him and his legacies, especially with her use of the paintings he had commissioned of himself and other figures, his Monticello home, and even his obelisk and the epitaph engraved on it. Her inclusion of the actual images she references is noteworthy to mention, as it assisted with the analysis she provides with each one. For example, her look at the study for The Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776 by John Trumball shows readers that Thomas Jefferson was placed prominently front and center in the piece, which signifies his importance to that defining moment in history (even if the date he chose did not exactly match when the presentation of the Declaration draft to Congress first happened) (p. 58) In addition to her analysis, Wilson does well in making the book accessible to readers as well with the historical context flooding this book.
However, while it is helpful to some degree, the background and context Wilson includes in Jefferson on Display does hinder and hide her analysis on Jefferson’s self-presentation. At times it felt like the book reads more as just a history of Jefferson rather than her focus on his image and presentation of himself. Her purpose and focus gets lost in the abundance of information she provides, bogging down the reading and making it hard to follow at times. Her writing style also amplifies this issue within Jefferson on Display, with the frequent long sentences and overly complicated wording at times, making it difficult to read and digest her work and purpose of the book. On the more nitpicky side, the material used for the paperback edition of Jefferson on Display is not ideal for people who are heavily into marking up their books. Along with the almost glossy pages, the soft page covering gets easily ruined despite minimal manhandling of the text.
Jefferson on Display: Attire, Etiquette, and the Art of Presentation by Gaye Wilson is a detailed look into Thomas Jefferson’s purposeful use of self-presentation to cultivate various public images for different audiences. While heavy in historical background, it is a worthwhile read to those interested in Jefferson history and history around fashion and culture. Jefferson on Display provides a look at Jefferson through material culture means and Wilson’s analysis gives readers a means to digest the purposefulness Jefferson had in cultivating his own image. With her use of material items like paintings and spending records, Wilson offers readers a glimpse into who Jefferson was and how he played a role in his own memory and legacies.
March 6, 2019
A biography on Jefferson as told through his clothes and appearance. The little attention he paid to dressing well (unless he needed to for official functions) proves a point he made evident on his self-designed tombstone - he noted he was the 1) Declaration or Independence author, 2) facilitator of religious freedom in Virginia, and 3) father of the University of Virginia. He does NOT mention his roles as President, Secretary of State, nor Ambassador to France. His external expressions are telling of his character - one who wanted little pomp and circumstance.
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