BGuthrie Photos: DC -- Natl Postal Museum -- Exhibit (Gross Gallery 7): Alexander Hamilton: Soldier, Secretary, Icon

DC -- Natl Postal Museum -- Exhibit (Gross Gallery 7): Alexander Hamilton: Soldier, Secretary, Icon:

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Description of Pictures: Alexander Hamilton: Soldier, Secretary, Icon
May 25, 2018 – March 3, 2019
Explore the extraordinary life of Alexander Hamilton (1755-1804) through original mail sent and signed by him in his role as the first Secretary of the Treasury and through portraits of him and his contemporaries on postage and revenue stamps. The experience is augmented by in-gallery interactives and educational programming, all coinciding with the Washington dates of the national touring version of “Hamilton: An American Musical.”
The exhibition will display the original dueling pistols used by Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr in the 1804 duel that resulted in Hamilton’s death. On loan to the museum from JPMorgan Chase & Co., this rare public showing represents the first time the pistols have been on public display in the Washington D.C. area. The pistols will be on display from May 25–June 24, 2018.

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Copyrights: All pictures were taken by amateur photographer Bruce Guthrie (me!) who retains copyright on them. Free for non-commercial use with attribution. See the [Creative Commons] definition of what this means. "Photos (c) Bruce Guthrie" is fine for attribution. (Commercial use folks including AI scrapers can of course contact me.) Feel free to use in publications and pages with attribution but you don't have permission to sell the photos themselves. A free copy of any printed publication using any photographs is requested. Descriptive text, if any, is from a mixture of sources, quite frequently from signs at the location or from official web sites; copyrights, if any, are retained by their original owners.

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Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
1. HAMILT_180526_010.JPG: Bust of Alexander Hamilton circa 1794 The earliest postage stamps honoring Hamilton featured this marble bust of him aged 39, made by the Italian sculptor Giuseppe Ceracchi in 1794. Ceracchi was then in Philadelphia pestering Congress to commission a Revolutionary War memorial he had designed. To curry favor, he requested that Hamilton and twenty-six other founding fathers sit for busts or medallions that he later gifted to them. When the government declined to fund his memorial -- he was asking for the equivalent of about $8 million in today's money -- Ceracchi sent peevish letters to his sitters, accused them of duping him, and enclosed bills for the sculptures they had received. Hamilton sent $620, which he noted in his cash book was paid "through delicacy…as a favour to him." Hamilton's widow, Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton, displayed the bust in the parlor of her Washington, D.C. home from 1848-1854. One visitor recalled, "The old lady always paused before it … and, leaning on her cane, gazed and gazed as if she could never be satisfied." Multiple copies were made from the original bust. This one belonged to Levi Woodbury, one of Hamilton's successors as secretary of the treasury. It passed to Woodbury's son-in-law, Montgomery Blair, who was postmaster general from 1861-1864, and was purchased by the National Portrait Gallery in 1966.
2. HAMILT_180526_019.JPG: English-made flintlock smoothbore dueling pistols by Wogdon & Barton before 1797 In a scene that is scarcely imaginable today, on July 11, 1804 the vice president of the United States, Aaron Burr, killed former secretary of the treasury and retired two-star army general Alexander Hamilton in a duel. Burr had lost both the U.S. presidential election of 1800 and the New York governor's race of 1804. He blamed Hamilton's outspoken opposition for both losses -- especially a letter attributed to Hamilton and published in the Albany Register that referred to Burr as "despicable" -- and issued the challenge to a duel. Made of walnut, brass and gold, and each weighing several pounds, this pair of flintlocks is described by noted Hamilton scholar Ron Chernow as having "the best claim to authenticity" as the pistols used in the famous duel. This same pair of pistols likely killed Hamilton's son, Philip, when he became involved in an affair of honor over his famous father's reputation in 1801. They were manufactured in England by the celebrated gunsmith Robert Wogdon and owned by Hamilton's brother-in-law, John Barker Church, who had himself dueled with Aaron Burr in 1799 over a different matter (and using a different set of pistols). Far from vindicating himself as he had hoped, Burr instead became a pariah. Indicted for the capital crime of murder in both New York and New Jersey, he was forced into hiding. President Thomas Jefferson dropped him from the Democratic-Republican presidential ticket, and later ordered Burr's arrest on treason charges stemming from an alleged plot to set up an independent country in the Louisiana Purchase territories. Having been acquitted of murder, dueling and treason he resumed a modest law practice in New York but died bankrupt and living in a Staten Island boarding house in 1836.
3. HAMILT_180526_048.JPG: The Burr and Hamilton Duel at Weehawken, New Jersey July 11, 1804 In this popular image from the late nineteenth century, a cool and calculating Burr (right) takes deadly aim at the doomed Hamilton, who fires into the air. Incredibly, the fatal scene takes place in full sight of a passing carriage when in reality the principals took great pains to conceal their participation in this "affair of honor."
4. HAMILT_180526_066.JPG: SECRETARY Home > Exhibit > SECRETARY After Washington was elected president, he chose Hamilton to be his secretary of the treasury. Hamilton's influence with Washington and the fact that he controlled the two largest government agencies made him a convenient lightning rod for critics of the administration who dared not directly assault the immensely popular president. The major issues of Hamilton's time at Treasury were paying Revolutionary War debts, maintaining neutrality in European wars, and defining the powers of the executive branch of government. In all of these, Hamilton played a pivotal role. By the end of Washington's first term, national political parties were coalescing around support for and opposition to Hamilton's policies.
5. HAMILT_180526_073.JPG: French Consular folded letter from Philadelphia to Boston August 18, 1793 Some Americans hailed the French Revolution as the birth of a "sister republic," but President Washington stayed neutral as France declared war on most of Europe. French consuls in America attempted to sway public opinion by appealing to sentimentality for French assistance during the American Revolution -- a cynical approach, since the French Revolution had turned against Rochambeau, Lafayette, and other heroes of the war in America.
6. HAMILT_180526_084.JPG: 14¢ Constitutional Convention postal card approved art 1987
7. HAMILT_180526_099.JPG: Folded letter to James Monroe October 19, 1794 In 1794, to avoid being drawn into the war between France and Great Britain, President Washington sent John Jay to London and James Monroe to Paris as U.S. ministers. Monroe received this letter two months after he arrived in France. Jay had confidential instructions (written by Hamilton) to negotiate a commercial treaty with Great Britain. Although disappointed by some aspects of Jay's final agreement, Hamilton successfully crusaded for Senate ratification. Monroe's failure to reassure France's revolutionary government about Jay's treaty got him recalled from his post in 1796. Monroe blamed the fiasco on Hamilton, and exposed Hamilton's extramarital affair with Maria Reynolds in revenge. The two nearly dueled over the scandal in 1797.
8. HAMILT_180526_103.JPG: 14¢ Constitutional Convention postal card 1987 When the Philadelphia Convention was called in 1787 to replace the Articles of Confederation, Governor George Clinton sent Hamilton -- who favored a new Constitution -- as one of New York's three delegates. Clinton was opposed to a strong central government, however, and chose his other two delegates accordingly. Outvoted and frustrated, Hamilton disappeared from the convention for long periods but returned in September to sign the new Constitution.
9. HAMILT_180526_108.JPG: Post Office Act of 1792 1792 When Congress created the Post Office Department as a permanent federal agency in February 1792, President Washington assigned responsibility for it to the Treasury. Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson unsuccessfully tried to wrest control away from Hamilton, arguing that the treasury secretary was already too powerful.
10. HAMILT_180526_110.JPG: Major General Nathanael Greene free frank folded letter April 2, 1778 Greene was one of Washington's ablest lieutenants and an admirer of Hamilton; it was probably he who recommended the young artillery captain for promotion. In this letter written from Valley Forge, Greene asks a merchant to send "Portmanteaus and Valeeses" as well as fabric for tents and knapsacks.
11. HAMILT_180526_113.JPG: FREE FRANKS TO CUSTOMS COLLECTORS As secretary of the treasury, Hamilton was permitted to send official correspondence for free by signing his name. This ensured that customs inspectors and collectors all over the country were kept busy responding to ceaseless requests for information about imports and exports, tonnage and construction of ships, trade routes, and ports of call. His ability to interpret and remember this data made Hamilton the best informed member of Washington's first Cabinet.
12. HAMILT_180526_123.JPG: Free franked cover to Customs Collector Otho H. Williams, August 13, 1793
13. HAMILT_180526_126.JPG: Free franked cover to Customs Collector Stephen Smith, October 22, 1790-1794
14. HAMILT_180526_138.JPG: 14¢ Constitutional Convention postal card 1987
15. HAMILT_180526_139.JPG: 15¢ Federalist Papers postal card approved art 1988
16. HAMILT_180526_146.JPG: 15¢ Federalist Papers postal card 1988 New York was split between supporters of the Constitution and defenders of the Articles of Confederation. Hamilton coordinated publication of eighty-five essays by himself, James Madison, and John Jay that swayed New York's ratifying convention in favor of the Constitution. These "Federalist Papers" also had considerable influence in Madison's native Virginia.
17. HAMILT_180526_186.JPG: 30¢ Hamilton engraved die 1870 This is the original steel die for the 30¢ Hamilton stamp featuring Giuseppe Ceracchi's bust. It was engraved at the National Bank Note Company in New York in 1870, and used by successor companies Continental Bank Note Company and American Bank Note Company to print the stamp for the next eighteen years. The stamp was designed by Butler Packard and engraved by Joseph Prosper Ourdan (vignette), Douglas S. Robinson (frame) and Donald S. Ronaldson (lettering).
18. HAMILT_180526_197.JPG: 30¢ Hamilton, 1870, 1888 The Ceracchi bust of Hamilton appeared on the 30¢ stamp from 1870 until 1890. Hamilton's portrait did not appear on postage again until 1956.
19. HAMILT_180526_210.JPG: 30¢ EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT PLATE PROOFS ON CARDBOARD 1873 From 1873 to 1884, special stamps known as "officials" were issued for use by executive departments of the Federal government. The Ceracchi bust of Hamilton appeared on the 30¢ officials.
20. HAMILT_180526_217.JPG: 30¢ Hamilton stamped envelope, 1887 1887
21. HAMILT_180526_222.JPG: 30¢ Alexander Hamilton single on faked cover c. 1870 The 30¢ Hamilton was issued primarily for postage rates to Asia and South America. There was no reason for it to be on this ordinary domestic letter. Someone removed the original 3¢ stamp and substituted a 30¢ Hamilton to try and create a more valuable piece.
22. HAMILT_180526_235.JPG: 2¢ Battle of White Plains 1926 This stamp celebrates the legend that Hamilton's artillery unit single-handedly saved Washington's army at White Plains in October 1776. Although this part of Hamiltonian lore may be exaggerated, his later bravery is well-documented. At New Brunswick on December 1 and Trenton on December 26, his company held critical positions that prevented the enemy from advancing on the American lines.
23. HAMILT_180526_241.JPG: 13¢ Washington Reviewing His Ragged Army at Valley Forge 1976 The desperate 1777-1778 winter encampment at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania convinced Hamilton of the need for stronger central government. The Continental Congress had no taxation powers, so tattered uniforms were not replaced and food supplies were inadequate. A quarter of Washington's troops died from smallpox and pneumonia.
24. HAMILT_180526_249.JPG: 3¢ Nassau Hall large die proof 1956 Following the British surrender at Trenton, Washington marched his army to Princeton. Hamilton found himself encamped in front of Nassau Hall at the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University), a college that had rejected his admission application just five years earlier.
25. HAMILT_180526_257.JPG: 18¢ Battle of Yorktown-Battle of the Virginia Capes 1981 Although joining Washington's general staff brought him prestige, Hamilton longed for personal honor won on the battlefield. He got his wish at the siege of Yorktown, Virginia when a light infantry battalion under his command captured "Redoubt 10," one of Lord Cornwallis's last remaining holdouts, in hand-to-hand combat.
26. HAMILT_180526_263.JPG: 13¢ Surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown 1976 Hamilton is at lower right, the fourth figure in from the border, wearing the uniform of a New York artillery colonel.
27. HAMILT_180526_267.JPG: The Society of the Cincinnati The Society of the Cincinnati, formed at the end of the American Revolution, took its name from an ancient Roman general who retired back to farming after having been dictator of the republic. The namesake evoked patriotism without ambition, and a bald eagle decorated with vignettes from Cincinnatus's life became the society's insignia. Membership was open to Revolutionary War commissioned officers and their male descendants. Hamilton frequently defended the society against detractors who criticized its hereditary membership as undemocratic, and he succeeded Washington as its second president general.
28. HAMILT_180526_270.JPG: Rev. Dr. William Linn (1752-1808), oil on canvas by John Wesley Jarvis circa 1805
29. HAMILT_180526_279.JPG: Society of the Cincinnati eagle insignia 1800 An honorary membership in the New York State Society of the Cincinnati was awarded to Rev. Dr. William Adolphus Linn for his eulogy to George Washington, delivered before the society on February 22, 1800. Hamilton -- who sat through more than one funeral oration for Washington -- found "an originality of thought, an energy of expression, and a genius displayed in" Linn's speech. Created by New York goldsmith John Cook, Linn's eagle is a rare early example of an American-made society insignia. Hamilton was almost certainly in attendance when it was presented to Linn on July 4, 1800.
30. HAMILT_180526_282.JPG: 2¢ General Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben 1930 A former Prussian Army officer, Steuben arrived at Valley Forge in February 1778. Although he spoke no English, Washington placed him in charge of training the army. Steuben and Hamilton conversed in French, and Hamilton translated his drill manual into English. The two were for many years leading members of the New York State Society of the Cincinnati.
31. HAMILT_180526_295.JPG: 13¢ Marquis de Lafayette 1977 The young Marquis de Lafayette joined the Revolution at nineteen and developed a lifelong friendship with Hamilton. Both were similar in age, revered Washington, and harbored deep antislavery sentiments. When Lafayette fled France during the French Revolution and was imprisoned in Austria, Hamilton took in his son and aided a plot to free his friend.
32. HAMILT_180526_301.JPG: 13¢ Marquis de Lafayette reverse impression 1977 The young Marquis de Lafayette joined the Revolution at nineteen and developed a lifelong friendship with Hamilton. Both were similar in age, revered Washington, and harbored deep antislavery sentiments. When Lafayette fled France during the French Revolution and was imprisoned in Austria, Hamilton took in his son and aided a plot to free his friend.
33. HAMILT_180526_305.JPG: 3¢ Battle of Brooklyn 1951 After British and American forces clashed at Brooklyn on August 27, 1776, the defeated Americans evacuated across the East River to Manhattan. The British chased Washington's army -- including Hamilton's New York Provincial Company of Artillery -- from Harlem Heights to White Plains and across the Hudson River into New Jersey. Hamilton would not see New York City again for seven years.
34. HAMILT_180526_316.JPG: Soldier Essentially an orphan, and with few influential connections, Hamilton saw the American Revolution as an opportunity for rapid social advancement. At twenty-one, while still a student at King's College (now Columbia University), he persuaded New York's Provincial Congress to commission him as an artillery captain, then recruited sixty-eight men and raised the money to outfit the company. Hamilton attracted George Washington's attention and joined the general's "military family" as his private secretary at age twenty-two. By war's end he was a full colonel. Most importantly, he had acquired important personal connections and a respectable military reputation that would be vital to his future political career. "I wish there was a war." -- Alexander Hamilton, agr 14
35. HAMILT_180604_064.JPG: 30¢ Hamilton engraved die 1870 This is the original steel die for the 30¢ Hamilton stamp featuring Giuseppe Ceracchi's bust. It was engraved at the National Bank Note Company in New York in 1870, and used by successor companies Continental Bank Note Company and American Bank Note Company to print the stamp for the next eighteen years. The stamp was designed by Butler Packard and engraved by Joseph Prosper Ourdan (vignette), Douglas S. Robinson (frame) and Donald S. Ronaldson (lettering).
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