April 3 — September 6, 2015
March 1780: The marquis de Lafayette is entrusted by his king with a message for George Washington. It is a message the American commander–in–chief has been hoping to receive for nearly five years—that France will send troops to America's aid. The twenty-two-year-old Frenchman boards a French navy vessel bound for the United States and sets off on a fateful voyage.
In the summer of 2015, a replica of this very ship, the Hermione, will arrive in Yorktown, Virginia, for a tour of the East Coast of the United States, celebrating the conclusion of a twenty-year effort to rebuild the ship that brought Lafayette to America. The Hermione project brings together naval architects, historical restoration experts, maritime historians, sailors, and artisans. Based on original ships' plans and technical treatises from the period, the reconstruction combines traditional shipbuilding techniques and modern technologies. Built at the Arsenal in Rochefort, France—the same shipyard where the original was launched—the modern Hermione is ready to set sail.
Lafayette's voyage marked a turning point in our War for Independence—the moment when the futures of the United States and France were tied together. The modern Hermione honors the continuing friendship between France and the United States while celebrating the impressive tradition of French naval architecture. The Hermione is a monument of craftsmanship, a tribute to the greatness of the French sailing navy of the eighteenth century, and above all, a reminder of the historic relationship between France and the United States.
This exhibition explores Lafayette's contributions to American independence as well as the history of the Hermione and French naval architecture of the eighteenth century using rare books, maps, engravings, manuscripts, and other artifacts in the Society's collections. The exhibition also looks at the construction of t ...More...
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