“Lafayette The Nation’s Guest” Waterproof Portrait
Boston, circa 1824 - Frame: 14¾ x 14½ inches; sight: 8½ x 8½ inches
 
This rare printed portrait titled “Lafayette The Nation’s Guest” was produced during Lafayette’s American tour. The small circular likeness is set within an embossed decorative field and marked “Water Proof,” reflecting an early nineteenth-century novelty printing process intended to protect the image from moisture. Widely distributed during Lafayette’s visit, such inventive prints capture the extraordinary public enthusiasm that greeted him as the honored “Guest of the Nation.”
 
Condition: Very fine; not examined out of frame.