Tomorrow At Monticello
-
73°
Sunny
-
Mem
78°
/
56°
-
Tue
83°
/
63°
-
Wed
87°
/
65°
-
Thu
89°
/
65°
Today’s Hours
Gartes are open 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
TJE Original Title:
Bedroom Portholes
Thomas Jefferson wrote to his daughter Martha in 1815, "In the closet over my bed you will find a bag tied up, and labelled 'Wolf-skin pelisse,' and another labelled 'fur-boots,' wherein those articles will be found."[1] The "closet" refers to a small storage space above the bed, ventilated by three oval-shaped, porthole-like openings. The storage space is reached through the doorway to the right of the head of the bed, which conceals a ladder-like set of stairs.
Footnotes
- 1. Jefferson to Martha Jefferson Randolph, Poplar Forest, November 4, 1815, in Family Letters, 411.
Shop item (callout):
Comments
The portholes led to the place where Jefferson's dreams lived. Needless to say, it was an interesting place. (Though not true, my falsehood is more fun than the closet reality)