c. 1824

Coffeepot with Lafayette at Franklin's Tomb

Gilbert du Motier, marquis de Lafayette, was a French military officer and aristocrat who served as a Major General in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Because of his support for the American cause, Lafayette became an American hero. The scene on this coffeepot, a celebration of two American heroes, is said to be that of Lafayette at the tomb of Benjamin Franklin. The scene on the pitcher at left documents a trip Lafayette made to the United States in 1824-25 during which he received an honorary citizenship.