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Thomas Jefferson Autograph Letter Signed with Second Franking Signature....
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Description
Jefferson letter reflecting on his diminishing faculties: "this disability imposed on me by nature...may have been a providential favor to prevent my betraying on paper that wane of the mind which is the necessary effect of the decline of body"
Thomas Jefferson Autograph Letter Signed with Second Franking
Signature. One page with integral address sheet, 7 3/4 x 9 3/4
inches, Monticello; January 19, 1823. With integral address sheet,
containing Jefferson's free frank ("free Th: Jefferson") in
upper left-hand corner.Jefferson writes to the Dutch-born scholar and writer Francis Adrian Vander Kemp dwelling on the pain suffered from an old injury to his wrist and awareness of his declining mental faculties. He is responding to a letter from Vander Kemp, dated December 19, 1822, in which Vander Kemp mentions that he has not heard from Jefferson in a long time. In full:
"Dear Sir
Your favor of Dec. 19. was long on it's [sic] passage to me, and finds me in a condition but shortly to acknolege [sic] it's [sic] receipt [sic]. a dislocation of my right wrist while in Paris, and the impracticability of reducing the carpal bones to their order has always been an impediment in my writing, and the effect of age has been gradually increasing the difficulty till now the motion of the wrist is nearly lost, the fingers of the hand become distorted and their joints almost inflexible; and I am under the physical necessity of giving up writing. this disability imposed on me by nature must excuse me to my friends for not doing what it is impossible for me to do. perhaps too it may have been a providential favor to prevent my betraying on paper that wane of the mind which is the necessary effect of the decline of body, and of which we are apt to be insensible ourselves when become very obvious to others. I shall still hope however to hear from my friends occasionally altho' I cannot answer them, and from none with more pleasure than from yourself, of the continuance of your health & happiness of which I pray you to be entirely assured.
Th: Jefferson"
Jefferson dislocated his right wrist in 1786 while in Paris serving as U.S. Minister to France. Although the exact circumstances are uncertain, historians have speculated that his injury occurred while trying to impress or keep up with Maria Cosway during a walk in the countryside or a park. Cosway was a married Italian-English artist with whom he had a close emotional relationship. Although the bones in his wrist were reset by surgeons, Jefferson suffered pain for the rest of his life, forcing him for a time to write with his left hand. Jefferson referenced the injury in a letter now known as "Dialogue Between My Head and My Heart", written to Cosway in October 1786. In it, he lamented that his "heart" had led him into romantic pursuits, while his "head" reminded him of his painful wrist.
In the final years of his life, Jefferson often made references in his correspondence to the persistent pain and limitations caused by his old wrist injury from 1786. Jefferson was very mindful of his declining health and mental faculties and his letters from this period frequently reflect an awareness of his aging body, diminishing strength, and the inevitable approach of death. As he writes to Vander Kemp, the continual pain in his wrist along with his advancing age, makes writing an arduous task, but "may have been a providential favor to prevent my betraying on paper that wane of the mind." Despite being in declining health, he remained engaged in intellectual discussions such this correspondence with Vander Kemp, but relied more on past writings and notes.
Integral address sheet endorsed by Vander Kemp as answered on May 26. Housed in a custom quarter morocco case with an engraving of Jefferson.
Francis Adrian Vander Kemp (1752-1829) was born in the Dutch Republic and emigrated to the United States in 1788 after being imprisoned for his activities connected to the liberal Patriot party. A Mennonite minister, Vander Kemp was an ardent advocate of Dutch support for American independence during the Revolutionary War. His political problems along with his desire to live in the United States, resulted in his moving to New York. Vander Kemp became friends and a correspondent with many prominent American figures, including Jefferson, George Washington, John Adams, and Alexander Hamilton. He was elected to several prestigious American organizations, including the American Antiquarian Society, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Philosophical Society. He received an honorary degree from Harvard in 1820.
Condition: Gently age toned, with professional restoration along the folds of the address sheet. Tears in the top left corner of the address sheet have been repaired with cloth tape at an earlier time, with a small amount of paper loss at the edge at top. An area of about one square inch has been cut where the seal would have been. Light offsetting from the seal, and a few light areas of dampstaining. A small bit of paper is affixed to the top left and chip of loss to top right of the recto.
Provenance: The Jerome Shochet Collection of Manuscripts and Signed Photographs, Christie's, May 1994, lot 46. Profiles in History, item 18973.
Auction Info
2025 March 28 Historical Manuscripts Including Texana Signature® Auction #6316 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
March, 2025
28th
Friday
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