Notes on the State of Virginia - photo 1
Notes on the State of Virginia - photo 2
Notes on the State of Virginia - photo 3
Notes on the State of Virginia - photo 4
Notes on the State of Virginia - photo 5

Notes on the State of Virginia

Lot 56
25.05.2022 17:00UTC -05:00
Classic
Sold
$ 302 400
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUSA, New York
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Archive
ID 752772
Lot 56 | Notes on the State of Virginia
Estimate value
$ 200 000 – 300 000
Notes on the State of VirginiaParis, 1785[JEFFERSON, Thomas (1743-1826)]. Notes on the State of Virginia: written in the year 1781, somewhat corrected and enlarged in the winter of 1782, for the use of a Foreigner of distinction, in answer to certain queries proposed by him.... [Bound with:] Draught of a Fundamental Constitution for the Commonwealth of Virginia. [Paris: Philippe-Denis Pierres for the author,] 1782 [i.e., 1785]. Ohio Senator John Smith's copy of the rare, privately-printed first edition. Jefferson's descriptive essays on his home state of Virginia are "a classic statement about the promise and the perils of the American experiment" (Frank Shuffleton, Introduction to Notes) and "the first attempt by an American to describe comprehensively the natural history, geography, inhabitants, and political structure of a part of North America in a single, concise work" (Creating America). Jefferson's began this work in the spring of 1781 as a response to questions from the Marquis de Barbé Marbois, Secretary of the French Legation in Philadelphia, on behalf of the French government. Marbois's queries were forwarded by a Virginia delegate in Congress, Joseph Jones, to the outgoing governor, Jefferson. He promised Marbois on 4 May 1781 that he intended, as soon as he had adequate leisure at his disposal, to give "as full information as I shall be able to do" (Papers, 5:58). For some years, Malone reports, he had been "making memoranda about Virginia on loose sheets of paper"; after leaving the governorship, he returned to Monticello and took up the project in earnest (ibid., p.374). By December, he forwarded Marbois a draft, but cautioned that it was "very imperfect" (Papers, 6:142). Over the next two years, Jefferson continued expanding the notes and sent manuscript copies to various friends for comments. Many in his circle requested copies, so Jefferson eventually decided to produce a private edition; before he could do so he embarked to Paris to take up his post as U.S. Minister to France. "Perhaps I may have a few copies struck off in Paris," he concluded (Papers, 7:282). From Paris, in May 1785, he announced to James Madison that the printers "yesterday finished printing my notes. I had 200 copies printed, but do not put them out of my own hands, except two or three copies here, and two which I shall send to America, to yourself and Colo. Monroe..." (Papers, 8:147). This copy contains the ownership inscription of John Smith, who served as one of the first two U.S. Senators from Ohio when it was admitted as a state in 1803.. Smith (c. 1735-1824) was a native Virginian who settled in Colombia, Ohio Territory (near Cincinnati) in 1790. Little is known about his life before this point. "Described by contemporaries as large, handsome, and dark complected, he had as his only assets a talent for public speaking and a winning personality that expertly balanced seriousness and gregariousness. But they were enough to win the confidence of a small Baptist congregation who engaged him as their pastor" (ANB). Interestingly, Smith's ownership inscription is dated 1788, prior to his move to Ohio and his known association with Jefferson during his time in Congress. The first leaf of text bears the inscription: "Jno. Smith to his friend Mos. [?] Doughty." On the rear flyleaf Smith has written "John Smith 1788". There are also names of several young ladies penciled onto the verso of the titlepage. Smith and Jefferson were friendly while Smith was a Senator, but their friendship suffered when Smith was implicated in the Burr Conspiracy. Although Smith survived a Senate vote for his expulsion, his political career had been ruined and he resigned his seat on 25 April 1808.Taking advantage of low printing costs in Paris, Jefferson published three more tracts, including the Constitution of Virginia; the Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom, which he co-authored; and his ideas on currency units, some of which were bound in with copies of the Notes. This copy contains the first of these. The Virginia Constitution was the first state constitution to be created, drafted in May 1776 as the state declared independence from Great Britain. Primarily the work of John Mason and James Madison, the Virginia Constitution created a bicameral legislature, an Executive of a Governor and a Council of State, and inferior and superior courts. The right to vote was closely restricted to white men over twenty-one of fairly significant wealth. Church 1189; Creating America 21; Howes J78 ("c"); Federal Hundred 6 ("a classic of Americana in a variety of fields, from natural history to politics"); Rich, p.301; Sabin 35894; Sowerby, Catalogue of the Library of Thomas Jefferson 4167 (4:301-30); Coolie Verner, Mr. Jefferson Distributes His Notes (New York, 1952); Streeter sale 1772; Vail 728. Octavo (200 x 130mm). Typical correction to page 5 and again on page 244 (replacing "this" over "that"), both presumed to be in Jefferson's hand (early pages moderately soiled). Contemporary calf with morocco spine label (hinges cracked, boards rubbed and worn, lacking front free endpaper, rear endpapers lightly dampstained). Custom chemise and red quarter morocco slipcase. Provenance: John Smith, 1735-1824, Senator from Ohio (ownership signature) – Mos[es?] Doughty (gift inscription from Smith) – R. D. Cochran, Pittsburgh (ownership inscription).
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