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Primary sourcePaintingc. 1780

Portrait of Lafayette

Charles Willson Peale · c. 1780

A life portrait of the young Marquis de Lafayette in his American major general's uniform, painted during the Revolutionary War.

This life portrait shows Lafayette as a young major general in Continental Army uniform during the Revolutionary War.

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Oval oil portrait of a man with reddish hair, shown from the chest up against a dark background. He wears a yellow-buff coat with brown buttons, a black stock, a black sash across his chest, and a gold epaulette with silver stars on his shoulder.
Charles Willson Peale, Portrait of Lafayette, c. 1780. Independence National Historical Park, Philadelphia.

About this source

What it is

Painted around 1780 by Charles Willson Peale, this oval oil portrait shows Lafayette from the chest up, wearing the uniform of an American major general. It is held at Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia.

Why it matters

Painted from life during the war itself, the portrait captures Lafayette as a young French nobleman who had taken up arms for American independence. Peale was known for painting many of the Revolution's leading figures, and this image helped shape how later generations would picture Lafayette as a dashing young ally of the American cause.

Look closer

  • What details of the uniform tell you about Lafayette's rank and role?
  • Why might an American artist have wanted to paint a French volunteer in this way?
  • What might this portrait leave out about Lafayette's life before or after the war?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Marquis de Lafayette on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Painted allegory of the 1789 French Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. A title plaque reads 'Déclaration des droits de l'homme et du citoyen' above two tablets of text. A seated woman with chains and a standing winged figure with a wand flank the plaque, under a radiant eye in a triangle.Document

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6 February 1778

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Marquis de Lafayette · 21 November 1784

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Lafayette's Oath of Allegiance

Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette · 9 June 1778

Handwritten manuscript page numbered 80, dated April 1788 at top, in cursive ink on ruled paper. Text discusses constitutional ratification, amendments, and a Bill of Rights and trial by jury. Bound volume edge visible on left.Letter

Primary source

Letter from George Washington to Lafayette, 28 April 1788

George Washington · 28 April 1788

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