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Primary sourcePaintingbefore 1791

Portrait of the Marquis de La Fayette

Jean-Baptiste Weyler · before 1791

An oil portrait of Lafayette painted before 1791, showing him in military uniform during his active revolutionary years.

A life portrait of Lafayette painted during his active years in the French Revolution.

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Oval oil portrait of a man with powdered white hair in a blue military coat with gold epaulettes, red collar, and white waistcoat with gold buttons, against a dark background. He looks toward the viewer with a slight smile.
Jean-Baptiste Weyler, Portrait of the Marquis de La Fayette, before 1791.

About this source

What it is

This oval oil portrait of the Marquis de Lafayette was painted by Jean-Baptiste Weyler before 1791, the year the artist died.

Why it matters

Painted while Lafayette was alive and politically active, the portrait captures him during the early years of the French Revolution, when he held a prominent military and political role. Such portraits were often made to honor or commemorate public figures of the time, reflecting his status and the uniform associated with his position.

Look closer

  • What does his uniform and posture suggest about how he wanted to be seen?
  • Why might an artist have chosen to paint him in this particular style?
  • What does the painting not tell us about Lafayette's life or actions?

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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Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen

National Constituent Assembly · 1789

Scan of a handwritten two-column manuscript on aged, browned paper. The left column is in English under the heading 'Treaty of Alliance', and the right column is in French under 'Traité d'alliance eventuelle et défensive'. The text opens by naming the Most Christian King and the United States of North America.Document

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Treaty of Alliance with France

6 February 1778

Engraving of a man's head and shoulders in a high-collared coat and cravat, above a handwritten manuscript certificate signed by Lafayette dated November 21, 1784, attesting to James's service as a spy.Document

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Certificate for James Armistead Lafayette

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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