Unique George Washington Gift: Freeman’s | Hindman Books and Manuscripts Auction

Freeman’s | Hindman will bring a unique piece of American and French history to the auction block in September for its Books and Manuscripts auction in Philadelphia. 

The Destruction of the Bastille is an ink-wash drawing made at the onset of the French Revolution and only weeks after the Bastille fell. It was gifted to George Washington by French military commander and hero of the American Revolution the Marquis de Lafayette who was one of Washington’s most trusted military commanders during the Revolutionary War. The drawing bacome one of Washington’s most cherished possessions, hanging prominently in the presidential house during his two terms, and then in the entry hall of his residence in Mount Vernon, even after his death. It has an estimate of $500,000 - $800,000.

At the onset of the French Revolution, the Marquis de Lafayette sent his friend and former commander George Washington two gifts on behalf of the French people in appreciation of his embodiment of worldwide liberty. These were a drawing of the demolished Bastille, and the main key to the prison. As the prison served as a symbol of French royal oppression, the drawing of it, capturing its demise, was Lafayette’s way of signaling to his mentor his gratitude and indebtedness in light of their shared victory against British forces during the American Revolution.

After the fall of the Bastille, Lafayette was placed in command of the Paris National Guard, thanks in large part to his heroism and experience in the American Revolution, and was then tasked with keeping order throughout the city. In August 1789, less than a month after Parisians stormed it, Étienne-Louis-Denis Cathala, an architect and inspector overseeing the prison’s demolition, captured the historic moment of its destruction. After months in transit, the drawing and key were finally presented to President Washington in New York in August 1790, a little more than a year into his first term. Upon receiving them, Washington enthusiastically declared them tokens of “victory by Liberty over Despotism.”

Washington prized this drawing for the rest of his life, keeping it, along with the key, first at his Presidential homes in New York and Philadelphia during his time in office, and later sending them to his home, Mount Vernon, after serving his two terms as president. The drawing was proudly displayed in the entrance hall of his residence.