Thomas jefferson biography revolutionary war costumes

Thomas Jefferson had his own unique personal style of dress, documented many times by visitors, slaves, friends, acquaintances, and family. Below are selected excerpts from some of these sources describing Jefferson's clothing.

Primary Source References

 (Isaac Granger Jefferson).

"Old master wore Vaginny cloth & a red waistcoat, (all the gentlemen wore red waistcoats in dem days) & small clothes: arter dat he used to wear red breeches, too. He brought a great many clothes from France with him: a coat of blue cloth trimmed with gold lace; cloak trimmed so too: dar say it weighed fifty pounds: large buttons on the coat as big as half a dollar; cloth set in the button: edge shine like gold: in summer he war silk coat, pearl buttons."^[1]

 (Thomas Jefferson Randolph).

"He [Charles Willson Peale] told me that the first time he ever saw Mr. Jefferson was at Annapolis in company with William Hamilton. They were both as