Early in his career Thomas Jefferson maintained that “To glide unnoticed thro’ a silent execution of duty is the only ambition which becomes me,” yet the trajectory of his long political career landed him in a highly visible role in shaping the new American Republic. Out of the shadows, he quickly learned to create and manage a public image aimed at supporting his political goals. His appearance could shift from a fashionably dressed cosmopolitan gentleman to a man of the people in worn, homespun clothing. His Philadelphia residences ranged from elegant to modest boardinghouses, while he might arrive in a fashionable carriage or disembark from the public stage.

His image underscored where he stood on political issues, says Gaye Wilson, former Shannon Senior Historian at the Robert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies at Monticello. Wilson uses portraits, correspondence, period newspapers, and personal records to decipher Jefferson’s public image and, more importantly, what it reveals of his vision and ambitions for the American Republic.

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