Description:

George Washington
n.p., n.d.
G. Washington Address Leaf to U.S. Capitol Architect William Thornton, PSA Encapsulated
Address Leaf

A complete holograph address leaf written in the hand of President George Washington to U.S. Capitol architect William Thornton. Measuring 5" x 3.5" (folded), n.p., undated. Washington writes, in full: "Willm Thornton Esqr./ Federal City/ Favored/ by/ Mr. T. Peter." While it is unclear when this leaf was penned, the President's use of the name 'Federal City' suggests a modest apprehension in referring to the Capitol by his own name. Exhibits expected age toning and handling creases throughout, with isolated soiling near front letter folds. Seal remnants present on verso. Otherwise, very good with bold text. Verified authentic by PSA/DNA and encapsulated to an overall size of 6.5" x 10".

Provenance: Joseph Rubinfine, January 12, 1982.

William Thornton (1759-1828) was an American physician, inventor, and architect who, in 1792 won the competition for designing the National Capitol at Washington, D.C. Later in 1794, the President named Thornton a Commissioner of the District of Columbia in charge of laying out the new federal city and overseeing construction of the first government buildings, particularly the Capitol. He would remain in this position until 1802, whereupon Benjamin Henry Latrobe took over as second Architect of the Capitol. Thornton would go on to design a number of private homes in Washington, including Woodlawn for Major Lawrence Lewis and Tudor Place for Thomas Peter and his wife Martha Parke Custis Peter, a granddaughter of First Lady Martha Washington.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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  • Dimensions: 6.5" x 10"
  • Medium: Address Leaf

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