4th U.S. President and Father of the Constitution, James Madison sits in his drawing room at Montpelier, Orange County, Virginia.
James Madison was known for dressing in black. His trusted slave, Paul Jennings stated, “I have heard Mr. Madison say, that when he went to school, he cut his own wood for exercise. He often did it also when at his farm in Virginia. He was very neat, but never extravagant, in his clothes. He always dressed wholly in black — coat, breeches, and silk stockings, with buckles in his shoes and breeches. He never had but one suit at a time. He had some poor relatives that he had to help, and wished to set them an example of economy in the matter of dress. He was very fond of horses, and an excellent judge of them, and no jockey ever cheated him. He never had less than seven horses in his Washington stables while President.”1
Today I snapped this candid photo of James Madison sitting in his drawing room at Montpelier. It was a rare occasion to see him dressed a little spiffier. This was all Dolley’s doing as she was tired of seeing him dressed in black. Dolley added a little extra color to her little husband by tying his queue in a red ribbon.
Continue reading Lost Photos of History – James Madison In The Drawing Room At Montpelier
