Liberty in the Form of the Goddess of Youth (Engraving)

From Thomas Jefferson Encyclopedia

Liberty in the Form of the Goddess of Youth; Library of Congress

Edward Savage (1761-1817)
Stipple Engraving
62.7 x 38.1 (24 ¾ x 15 inches)
Library of Congress

Edward Savage’s Liberty, a potent symbol of the triumph of the United States over tyranny, hung in the Parlor at Monticello among Thomas Jefferson’s collection of historical, religious, and allegorical art. Jefferson counted the preservation of liberty among those “sacred and undeniable rights” belonging to all men, and considered liberty to be above politics. In the 1775 “Declaration of the Causes and Necessity for Taking Up Arms,” Jefferson wrote, “Our attachment to no nation on earth should supplant our attachment to liberty,” for he believed that the role of the United States was to promote liberty throughout the world.^[1]

It is interesting to note the empowerment Jefferson is giving to a female here, and perhaps women in general, by displaying this image among a multitude of portraiture of some of the world’s finest men [in Jefferson’s opinion]. Although Jefferson mainly selected works of art for their subject matter (in this case, liberty and its importance to both Jefferson and to America), it is still interesting that a female figure would be chosen to depict such an important element to American life and to be displayed in Monticello’s Parlor.

Jefferson left no record of how he obtained this print, but it was probably available at Savage’s Columbian Gallery on Chestnut Street in Philadelphia when Jefferson returned to that city in March 1797. As early as 1760 the Goddess of Liberty became associated with the American cause and was often depicted with figures representing the American continent, such as the Indian Princess. Gradually Liberty herself came to symbolize the young United States and she was often shown as she is in Savage’s print, surrounded with icons such as the bald eagle, the American flag, the liberty pole, and the liberty cap, while trampling the symbols of monarchy.^[2]

Artist info: Edward Savage was an American-born artist who worked in Philadelphia, New York, and Boston, and traveled to England to study engraving. He is best known for his portraits of the Washington family.

Jefferson’s copy of Liberty is unlocated.

Footnote

1. ↑ Stein, Worlds, 175.
2. ↑ Ibid.