Lafayette Bicentennial

Two new acquisitions will make their debut this spring as COMU joins the bicentennial celebration of the Marquis de Lafayette’s Farewell Tour.

The story began in 1777 when Lafayette, a French nobleman, purchased a ship and sailed to America to join the Revolutionary War. The 19-yearold, motivated by dislike of Great Britain and admiration for the American cause of liberty, was made a major general and became friends with General George Washington. Over the next four years, Lafayette endured a brutal winter at Valley Forge and earned distinction in several military actions, including the Battle of Brandywine and the Siege of Yorktown. He also played a crucial role in growing French support, securing 6,000 French troops to join the fight.

Nearly fifty years later, President James Monroe invited Lafayette, by then the last living American Revolutionary general, to tour the U.S. Still wildly popular, the Frenchman was hailed as a hero, attracting enormous crowds in every city he visited. From his arrival in August 1824 to his departure in September 1825, Lafayette visited all 24 states and enjoyed the best hospitality each community had to offer. This included Fort Mitchell, Alabama, where Lafayette crossed the Chattahoochee River on March 31, 1825. At the frontier fort, located within Muscogee (Creek) territory, Lafayette was welcomed by both white and Indigenous Alabamians and entertained by a Muscogee game of stickball.

To celebrate Lafayette’s visit, English potters flooded the American market with transfer-ware ceramics, depicting their former enemy’s face on plates, cups, pitchers, and bowls. COMU’s new acquisitions offer two examples of the dozens of different designs produced, which can be found in museums nationwide. The child's cup pairs Lafayette's face with that of his friend Washington, while the place centers Lafayette's military visage, based on a portrait by French painter Antoine Maurin, and refers to him as " The Nation's Guest," a recurring phrase used throughout his tour. Souvenirs of this type were sold along Lafayette's route and might have been used at Fort Mitchell after his visit.

An installation in the Crowley Family Gallery, opening in late March, will spotlight these objects and others that illuminate the Chattahoochee Valley's connection to Lafayette.

Images:

1. James and Ralph Clews (active c. 1818–1836), “Welcome Lafayette” G.2025.2.1 ell, Alabama, where Lafayette crossed the Chattahoochee River on March 31, 1825. At the frontier fort, located within Muscogee (Creek) territory, Lafayette was welcomed by both white and Indigenous Alabamians and entertained by a Muscogee game of stickball.

2. Unknown maker, Lafayette & Washington child’s cup, c. 1824/1825, transfer-printed canary ware, The Gladys Dudley History Fund, The Columbus Museum G.2025.2.2