Thomas Jefferson

1 page, 4to (246 x 202 mm) on a bifolium. remnants of wax seal, with franked transmittal panel; old folds, a few pinholes and stains, not affecting text.

246 x 202 mm

Apr 26, 2022 • Sotheby's

1 page, 4to (250 x 202 mm). jefferson's retained copy, docketed by jefferson at top edge of verso; inlaid, one small hole from acidic ink, docket partly obscured, some tracing over in jefferson's hand for clarity.

25 x 20.2 cm

Apr 26, 2022 • Sotheby's

jefferson, thomas (1743-1826). partly-printed document signed ("thomas jefferson") as president, washington, 3 february 1807.

215 x 380mm.

Apr 25, 2022 • Christie's

236 x 150 mm

Jan 25, 2022 • Sotheby's

1 page (247 x 198 mm) on a bifolium of wove paper watermarked posthorn, monticello, 26 august 1816, integral leaf with autograph address panel ("william lee esquire | consul of the us for bordeaux") and franking signature ("free | th: jefferson"), reception and forwarding dockets; seal tear and repair, a few short repaired tears to integral leaf.

24.7 x 19.8 cm

Jul 16, 2021 • Sotheby's

244 x 200mm

Apr 22, 2021 • Christie's

one page on vellum, 316 x 404mm (several pinholes at folds, light foxing at margins). countersigned by james madison (1751-1836) ("james madison") as secretary of state. with intact wax and paper seal of the united states affixed at lower left.

316 x 404mm 135 x 110mm

Apr 22, 2021 • Christie's

383 x 240mm

Apr 22, 2021 • Christie's

speech of thomas jefferson, president of the united states—delivered at his inauguration, march 4

37.2 x 30.8 cm

Apr 13, 2021 • Sotheby's

a summary view of the rights of british america was written and printed virtually by accident. while on his way to the virginia convention of 1774, jefferson fell ill with dysentery. the convention, for which jefferson had drawn up the resolutions of his county, had been called by the virginia committee of correspondence in response to the boston port bill and the dissolution of the virginia legislature by the royal governor, john murray, earl of dunmore. prevented by his illness from attending the convention, jefferson sent ahead a written version of a petition to the king that he intended to propose to the assembled delegates. although it was rejected by the convention as too radical, several members subscribed to have the petition printed. the manuscript was titled and first printed, without jefferson's knowledge, by clementina rind, the official printer of the house of burgesses. shortly afterward, in september 1774, patrick henry (and probably other virginia delegates as well) took a copy to the first continental congress in philadelphia, and it was reprinted there by john dunlap—who would twenty-two months later print the declaration of independence.

19.9 x 12.2 cm

Apr 13, 2021 • Sotheby's

two volumes bound in one, 8vo (209 x 121 mm). title singed by josiah quincy; imprint on title effaced with ink burn, also affecting the following leaf, moderate foxing, contemporary ink notations and underlining. contemporary calf; rebacked to style, retaining original gilt-lettered label, extremities rubbed, some soiling.

20.9 x 12.1 cm

Apr 13, 2021 • Sotheby's

because the crown refused to allow americans their own currency and insisted debts be paid in gold and sterling, planters often resorted to shipping tobacco to acquit their debts, before selling off their lands and slaves. jefferson is hopeful that he can sell some of wayles's land, which in addition to a shipment of tobacco, would lower the debt owed farell and jones. he explains that "some part of mr. wayles's lands were so poor and unprofitable that, had there been no debt, we should have thought them not worth keeping. these herefore we have determined to sell and apply the produce of the sale towards lessening your debt, and we think ourselves within bounds when we expect that produce will (on giving a credit suited to the present situation of our country) be at least 4000£ sterl. to this are to be added the tobacco's shipped, and to be shipped the last and the present year. the remainder alone then will fall on the future crops of the estate, a fund which we shall inviolably apply to that purpose, and on which we shall take care there shall be no other draw back than a small invoice for such british goods as will be necessary for the use of the plantations." jefferson draws attention to the tobacco shipment once more in his final paragraph. "you will receive by capt. emmes all the tobaccos of the estate except 20 hogsheads which mr. wayles had directed to be shipped this year to cary and co. of london. … emmes has at the time of writing this letter about 50 hogsheads on board under our order, and will within a few days take in the residue, which we expect will be about 20 more."

24.5 x 18.5 cm

Apr 13, 2021 • Sotheby's

thomas jefferson writes on the mason dixon line, greek independence, and the bedeviling issue of the barbary pirates: "the question is whether their peace or war will be cheapest?" jefferson opens his letter thanking page for his "notes of your operations on the pennsylvania boundary. i am in hopes that from yourself, madison, rittenhouse, or hutchings i shall receive a chart of the line as actually run. it will be a great present to me." david rittenhouse, who had worked on the early surveys of mason and dixon in the 1760s, had recently helped complete the boundary survey to the southwestern corner of pennsylvania in 1784. jefferson also expresses his pleasure that page had been asking rittenhouse to lead the american philosophical society. "this would be an immense acquisition and would draw youth to it from every part of the continent. you will do much more honour to our society on reviving it, if you place him at its head and not so useless a member as i should be. i have been so long diverted from this my favourite line, and that too without acquiring an attachment to my adopted one, that i am become a mongrel, of no decided order, unowned by any, and incapable of serving any." rittenhouse would eventually serve in that capacity from 1791 to his death in 1796.

23 x 18.3 cm

Oct 16, 2020 • Christie's

Dec 18, 2019 • Sotheby's

Paper, Ink

May 25, 2016 • Sotheby's

Paper, Ink

May 25, 2016 • Sotheby's

Dec 14, 2015 • Sotheby's

Jun 19, 2015 • Sotheby's

Jun 19, 2015 • Sotheby's

Jun 19, 2015 • Sotheby's

jefferson had appointed erastus granger as agent to the six nations in 1804. when red jacket's fine speech was printed in 1809 as indian speeches delivered by farmer's brother and red jacket, two seneca chiefs, granger sent a copy to jefferson, noting that "speech of red jacket was dilivered in my presence—i wrote it down, sentence by sentence, and know it to be correct." he further asserts by these speeches, "nature has been as bountiful in bestowing rational faculties on the human species in the new world, as she has to those of the old."

25.3 x 20 cm

• Bonhams