Thomas Jefferson’s bedroom completes the set of rooms that made up his private apartment at Monticello. In this room, he passed away at the age of 83 on July 4th, 1826.
Audio Overview
Listen as Monticello Guide Lou Hatch describes Jefferson's daily routine and his bed chamber.
- John Edwards Caldwell, A Tour through Part of Virginia in the Summer of 1808
Alcove beds were fashionable in France when Jefferson traveled abroad as a diplomat. He had the feature incorporated into Monticello upon his return. Most alcove beds opened only on one side, creating a nook that was warm in the winter. His own alcove had a removable screen to increase ventilation during hot Virginia summers and provide access to his office.
A closet above the alcove stored out-of-season clothes and linens. The space is very narrow and was accessible by a small ladder behind the door to the right of the bed. Three windows called “portholes” provide light and ventilation. All of this saved space, a defining feature of Jefferson’s architectural designs.
Keeping high-ceilinged rooms warm during the winter was a challenge. This wide, shallow style of fireplace distributed heat more efficiently.
Enslaved children typically stoked fireplaces and brought charcoal or wood to heat the house. Israel Gillette, formerly enslaved by Thomas Jefferson, recollected his life at Monticello in an 1873 interview, in which he said:
"For fourteen years I made the fire in [Thomas Jefferson’s] bedroom and private chamber, cleaned his office, dusted his books, ran of errands, and attended him about home."
This chest of drawers belonged to Thomas Jefferson’s wife, Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson. Over the course of her lifetime she bore seven children, but only two daughters survived to adulthood. She never saw the completed Monticello, passing away at the age of 33 from complications of childbirth. On top of the bureau, under glass, you see original grooming implements and accessories that belonged to Jefferson. Burwell Colbert, an enslaved manservant, shaved and dressed Jefferson each day. The lives of free and enslaved were closely linked, even in the most private of moments.
Look down at the floor by Jefferson’s bed. Every morning, enslaved butler Burwell Colbert filled a basin with ice water so that Jefferson could soak his feet for fifteen minutes. Jefferson believed it was the key to his good health and long life. He also rode his horse, Eagle, every day to stay fit. What routines do you have to keep healthy?
Go out the door and back into the Entrance Hall.
From there, go through the glass doors on your left.
