Jacques Reich, 10 Aug 1852 - 8 Jul 1923 - Marquis De Lafayette - c. 1899-1920 - T-Shirt

A pen and ink portrait of the Marquis de Lafayette in eighteenth-century military dress, with curled powdered hair and a star-shaped order badge pinned to his chest.

Visual Elements & Composition

The figure fills a tall, vertical frame in three-quarter view, turned toward the viewer's left. Everything is built from fine parallel and cross hatching in black ink on a warm cream ground, with tan tones deepening the shadowed background. The face, the textured fabric of the high-collared coat and the epaulettes on both shoulders are modelled through line alone. The hair is dressed high, curled at the sides and gathered into a queue at the back. The word "Lafayette" sits in the upper left, and the artist's signature, "Jacques Reich", runs beneath the figure.

Meaning & Symbolism

The sitter is Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, the French nobleman who served as a major general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War and became a close associate of George Washington. He later played a prominent part in the early stages of the French Revolution. The epaulettes, buttoned waistcoat and order badge recall that military and political career, and a portrait in this manner would have recalled the alliance between France and the young United States. Jacques Reich drew the image around 1899 to 1920, working in the tradition of reproductive portrait prints and book illustration, where earlier likenesses of historical figures were re-rendered in clear, graphic line.

On the Unisex Heavy Cotton Tee

Fine hatching reads best at close range, so this drawing suits a tee worn in conversation, where the lines of the coat and the curled hair come into view as the wearer moves. The vertical portrait sits naturally across the chest, letting the star-shaped badge and the figure's composed bearing hold the centre of the shirt.