THREE EXHIBITIONS ON THOMAS JEFFERSON

Jefferson’s Legacy: Three Exhibitions

I. Jefferson, Philadelphia, and the Founding of a Nation: April 17-December 28, 2014
II. Jefferson, Science, and Exploration: April 10-December 27, 2015
III. Gathering Voices: Thomas Jefferson and Native America: April 15-December 30, 2016

Thomas Jefferson was president of the American Philosophical Society from 1797 to 1814—before, during, and after he was President of the United States—and the Society was one of Jefferson’s primary ties to Philadelphia even after he left for Washington. As the site of Charles Willson Peale’s famed natural history museum, for which Jefferson served as chairman of the first Board of Visitors, the American Philosophical Society Museum provides an ideal venue for a series of exhibitions about Jefferson. This tripartite exhibition series—exploring Jefferson as a statesman, as a promoter of science and exploration, and as a student of Native America and indigenous languages—adds not only to our historical understanding of Jefferson’s accomplishments but also demonstrates how his multifaceted legacy continues to be relevant today.

I. Jefferson, Philadelphia, and the Founding of a Nation (April 17, 2014 – December 28, 2014)

For information on this past exhibition, click here.

Engraving of East Prospect of the City of Philadelphia, in the Province of Pennsylvania, 1761, George Heap and Nicholas Scull, APS

II. Jefferson, Science, and Exploration (April 10, 2015 – December 27, 2015)

For information on this past exhibition, click here.

William Bartram, Venus Flytrap (Dionaea muscipula), n.d., APS

III. Gathering Voices: Thomas Jefferson and Native America (April 15, 2016 – December 30, 2016)

For information on this past exhibition, click here.

Titian Ramsay Peale, c. 1820, APS