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Ribbon 1930-595
Lafayette Ribbon or Badge
Ribbon 1930-595

Lafayette Ribbon or Badge

Dateca. 1824
OriginAmerica
MediumSilk
Dimensions2 1/2" X 6 1/2"
Credit LineMuseum Purchase
Object number1930-595
DescriptionLafayette badge commemorating Lafayette's visit to America in 1824; at top of badge is the head of Lafayette in an oval medallion in the border of which is printed "Welcome Lafayette The Nation's Guest"; below the medallion and filling the lower part of the badge is an account of Lafayette's life as related to the American Revolution.
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.

This commemmorative ribbon chronicles in brief the life of the Marquis de Lafayette. It relates his time in action during the fight for liberty noting his zeal to fight through his injuries at the Battle of Brandywine. Many similar ribbons survive. The profile may be the work of engravers Asher B. Durand (1796-1886) and Charles C. Wright (1796-1857). The New York Statesman reported in August 1824 that "many of our citizens have upon their coats white or blue satin badges, with a likeness of General La Fayette, engraved by Durand & Wright, from a portrait in City Hall."
ProvenanceBefore 1930, descended in the family of Ellen Crider Wood [1849-1932] (Dunnegan, MO); 1930-present, purchased by The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation (Williamsburg, VA)