Existing comment:
James Armistead Lafayette, a slave carpenter of William Armistead of Richmond, was recruited by the Marquis de Lafayette to spy on the British during the Revolution. For his services, he successfully petitioned for his freedom. He took the surname Lafayette and lived in New Kent County. When Lafayette returned to Richmond in 1824, James Armistead Lafayette posed for this portrait by John B. Martin (reproduction courtesy Valentine Museum), and a portrait of James A. Lafayette with a facsimile of the Marquis de Lafayette's wartime testimonial was engraved and distributed as a print. |