Jefferson and Adams Memorial Pewter-Rim Mirror 
American, circa 1826 - Diameter: 2⅝ inches
 
An exceptionally rare engraved memorial portrait depicting Thomas Jefferson and John Adams in paired bust-length profile, enclosed within a pewter rim. The composition is surmounted by the inscription “Died July 4th 1826,” commemorating the extraordinary coincidence of their deaths on the fiftieth anniversary of American independence, with identifying captions below noting their respective birth dates.
 
The deaths of Jefferson and Adams on July 4, 1826, within hours of one another, were widely understood as a moment of profound symbolic closure for the founding generation. Once political rivals and later reconciled correspondents, the two men came to embody the intellectual and ideological foundations of the American Revolution. Their passing on the jubilee anniversary of independence was marked throughout the nation with commemorations, printed memorials, and objects such as the present example, produced to honor their intertwined legacies. Of the utmost rarity, only one other example is known in private hands, with an additional example preserved in the collection of the Winterthur Museum.
 
Condition: Very fine, with light toning and a darker area to the upper field.