Map exhibit traces Lafayette’s 1824-25 triumphal tour
A new exhibit in Olin Library’s lower level uses rare maps and other outstanding materials from Cornell University Library’s collections to trace Lafayette’s 1824-25 triumphal tour.
In 1824-25 Lafayette made a triumphal tour of the United States. At the invitation of Congress and President Monroe, he became the Guest of the Nation for almost two years.
The tour was an affirmation of American democracy and an opportunity for the still young, but increasingly confident American nation to celebrate its success. Lafayette, the last surviving major general of the Revolutionary War, was welcomed as a hero at every stop.
The map exhibit puts Lafayette’s tour in its geographical context and demonstrates the state of American cartography (and the cartography of America) at the time of the tour. The exhibit, by including items from several Rare Books Collections, the University Archives, the Map Collection and the Web, reveals the breadth of Cornell University Library’s collections of maps and charts, and the ease of access researchers have to materials throughout the world.
The maps in the exhibit enable one to picture the extent of the tour and the state of the country at the time. Once can compare several cities as they were when Lafayette first arrived in 1777, and their extent when he visited in 1824. The exhibit also gives as much attention as possible to Lafayette’s progress through upstate New York.
Quotes from contemporary newspaper accounts give you some insight into General Lafayette’s character and his commitment to democracy and a constitutional government which protected human rights. Less well-known, but clearly demonstrated throughout the tour were his interest in education, penal reform and Masonry.
A map from the recently acquired Huntington Free Library Native American Collection is the centerpiece of the display. Originally created by Aaron Arrowsmith, it was updated and re-engraved by Tardieu in 1820. It represents the best of European cartography and the skill of two very famous map-making families. It also reflects indirectly the growing importance of the United States on the world stage. European cartography was still influential, but the exhibit demonstrates that American cartography was growing quickly in skill and stature. Melish, Burr, De Witt, Tanner and others exhibited here were forging a powerful tradition of American cartography.
The exhibit is mounted in the display cases on the lower level of Olin Library, outside of the Media Collection and will remain through April 2008. Please visit the exhibit and drop by the Map and Geospatial Information Collection with reactions or questions.