Ca. 1800 specialized drafting tool belonging to Thomas Jefferson, measuring 3.5˝ x 1.75,˝ with a missing bottom arm to the right side. The instrument, identified as brass parallel calipers, is archivally mounted and framed with an engraved plate and portrait of Jefferson to an overall size of 13 x 18.5. In fine condition. Accompanied by a signed and notarized letter of provenance that details the instrument's line of ownership and the connection between the Jefferson-Randolph and Monroe-Hoes families.
Provenance: Thomas Jefferson; by descent to his great-great-great granddaughter, Frances Maury Burke (1861-1933); by gift or purchase to Rose Gouverneur Hoes; by descent to Laurence G. Hoes; by bequest to Camilla Hoes Pope; Heritage, November 2011; Bonhams, April 2025.
‘Science is my passion, politics, my duty.’ – Thomas Jefferson
A polymath of considerable degree, Thomas Jefferson’s expertise ranged across a broad array of disciplines, with his extensive library at Monticello offering him a near-unlimited wealth of literature. Jefferson's wide-ranging curiosity led him into a variety of scientific explorations, in agriculture, architecture and drafting, technology, botany, and medicine, among others. He not only served as the nation's third president, but for 17 years, he served as president of the American Philosophical Society.
