Monticello: Final elevation of the first version
Architectural drawing by Thomas Jefferson, circa March 1771
35.6 cm x 48.9 cm
Thomas Jefferson drew this final elevation while planning Monticello, his family home in Charlottesville, Va., an architectural project that occupied him for most of his life. "Architecture is my delight and putting up, and pulling down, one of my favorite amusements," he said. In his own home, as well as in his other architectural projects, Jefferson hoped to create a new style of architecture that would be reflective of the new nation. Typical of Jefferson's attention to detail, this elevation shows great precision. Monticello is one of the best-documented pre-Revolutionary buildings in America. Construction of this first version of Monticello began in 1769. This drawing is one of more than 400 of Jefferson’s architectural drawings in the Society's collection.
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