Images(3)

Lafayette ribbon

Dateca. 1824

OriginAmerica (probably)

MediumSilk

DimensionsW 2 1/4 in. L 27 1/4 in (medallion 3 in. from torn end; probably 40 in. in length originally).

Credit LineGift of Mr. Rawley Daniel.

Object number1972-96

DescriptionIvory silk taffeta ribbon with picot edges, engraved with the portrait of Lafayette framed in medallion held in eagle's beak with arrows and olive branch, with crossed standards at base of frame (Tricolor and Stars and Stripes). This ribbon was likely cut down from its original length as a waist ribbon or sash.
Label TextWhen the Marquis de Lafayette embarked on his 1824-1825 'Farewell Tour' of the United States, Americans looked for a material way to commemorate the occasion. Lafayette-themed merchandise, often printed with an image of 'the Nation's Guest', was advertised in newspapers, appears in written records of the tour, and survives in museum collections today.

According to family history, this sash was given to a young Henriette Fayette Belette by the Marquis de Lafayette during his visit to Williamsburg, Virginia in October 1824. While this gift doesn’t appear in published sources of the visit, newspaper accounts throughout the tour do mention children wearing commemorative waist ribbons and sashes. The Martinsburg Gazette describes children greeting Lafayette in Alexandria, VA as: “the females, clad in white, wearing blue sashes and Lafayette badges, and the males, neatly dressed, with pink colored sashes and badges, were drawn up in two rows.”
Markings"Lafayette-York-Town Surrendered Oct. 19, 1781/ Republican's Gratitude earths greatest tribute."
ProvenanceFamily tradition claims that the ribbon was presented by Lafayette on his 1824 visit to Williamsburg, to the grandmother (Henrietta Fayette Belette) of Miss Emma Lou (Louise) Barlow.