The Earliest known Image and Important Watercolor Painting depicting President James Madison's House, 'Montpelier', Orange, Virginia, Prior to Madison's Enlargements of the House in 1809, Attributed to Anna Maria Thornton (wife of Dr. William Thornton, Architect of the United States Capitol, Washington, D.C.). circa 1802

Watercolor, pen and ink on paper

Dr. and Mrs. William Thornton;
To Dr. and Mrs. Thomas Miller;
close friends of Anna Maria Thornton (1775?-1865);
Thence by descent to Mrs. James L. Young.

Dr. Thomas Miller (1806-1873) was a physician, as was William Thornton (1759-1828), and was well-known by notable individuals in Washington, D.C.

Sotheby's wishes to acknowledge the contribution of this essay, by E. Charles Beyer.

The conservation of the Montpelier watercolor involved de-acidifying the paper, restoring very small damages, and laying the whole down on Japanese paper. The staining could not be entirely removed as it would have removed the colors from the paper. The watercolor and letter have been put in "museum", acid free boxes. The watercolor has been mounted with an acid free narrow, paper border. It is attached in the accepted way by two; Japanese paper small strips only at the top, allowing the front and back to be easily examined.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Together with an accompanying manuscript description of James Madison, Montpelier and its surrounding landscape taken from the 19th century diary of Anna Maria Thorton, bearing a signature, A M Thorton. 2 pieces.


On September 5, 1802 Anna Maria Thornton, her mother and Dr. William Thornton, arrived at Montpelier, to visit James and Dolley Madison, finding there the portico of the house unfinished (see, The Diary of Anna Maria Thornton, Library of Congress). On September 18, 1802 the Thorntons and Madisons traveled to Monticello to visit with Thomas Jefferson (op.cit.). This watercolor, attributed to Anna Maria Thornton, previously attributed to William Thornton, is a result of the Thorntons visit with Madison, as is a watercolor of Monticello, of similar size and execution, also attributed to Mrs. Thornton (illustrated in, Hugh Howard, Houses of Our Founding Fathers, Artisan, New York, 2007, page 344). Both the Montpelier and Monticello watercolors were owned by Mrs. Charles F. Harrison, grandmother of Mrs. James L. Young.

The Montpelier watercolor and the Monticello watercolor each show architectural elements that were to be added significantly later than 1802 by Madison and Jefferson. In the Montpelier watercolor, they are designs for the "Temple" ice house, and the Front Doorway, (their construction completed by 28 September 1811), and the Triple Window over the Front Doorway, completed by 30 August 1812 (see, the Accounts of James Dinsmore, Madison's building contractor, held in the Library of the University of Virginia and discussed in, Bryan Clark Green and Ann L. Miller with Conover Hunt, Building a President's House, The Construction of James Madison's Montpelier, The Montpelier Foundation, 2007). In October 1809, Dinsmore wrote to Madison about the "Temple" ice house in which he suggests might be a model for Madison "...should you ever build one..." (op.cit., Green, Miller and Hunt, pp. 23-24). The demi-lune window in the pediment dates from circa 1820. The baluster-shaped finial on the roof was never executed.

It is well known that Jefferson often made significant changes to the design of Monticello. Madison is known to have communicated with Jefferson about his own intended architectural improvements to Montpelier. Most certainly Madison and Jefferson looked to William Thornton for architectural advice as depicted by the watercolors attributed to Mrs. Thornton. James Dinsmore was Jefferson's building contractor as well. Dinsmore created the first working architectural drawing of Montpelier. It essentially depicts all the projected improvements seen in the watercolor, their dates of completion as described above. By circa 1812, the North and South wings of Montpelier were completed. Montpelier stands today as it did upon its completion, having recently been restored by the Montpelier Foundation.

Mrs. Thornton was known as a watercolorist. Alan C. Clark, in Records of the Columbia Historical Society, 1915, says, "Painted by her in water colors are the estates of Monticello and Montpelier and other examples of her art are extant." Clark derived this information directly from Miss Virginia Miller, Dr. Miller's daughter, and her siblings, who owned the Gilbert Stuart portraits of the Thorntons, now in the National Gallery of Art, in Washington, D.C.

The accompanying manuscript, describing the landscape around Montpelier, is taken from Mrs. Thornton's diary entry of September 5, 1802 (op.cit., Library of Congress). The diary reads, in part "... the grounds are susceptible to great improvements, and when those he [Madison] contemplates are executed, it will be a handsome place & approach very much in similarity to some of the elegant seats in England of which many beautiful views are given in Sandby's views etc."

The Montpelier watercolor assays the suitability of certain future architectural alterations to Montpelier, not begun until 1809. These alterations were likely to have been the subject of conversations between James Madison and Dr. Thornton, renowned architect, and with Mrs. Thornton, whose diary describes the potential for the development of the landscape. The Montpelier watercolor is the earliest known record of Madison's contemplation of a new appearance for the house he had inherited on the death of his father in 1801.

The poem in French, attached to the watercolor, written circa 1817-1836 when Madison withdrew from public life, begins, in translation with, " Go to Montpelier, you will see a Sage... at rest... enjoying the sweet fruits of his noble works... this new Cincinnatus..."  Signed, "By a Foreigner"