Architect Drawings : A Selection of Sketches by World Famous Architects Through History

Jefferson, Thomas (1743–1826)
Monticello: mountaintop layout (plan), Before May 1768, Massachusetts Historical Society,
N61; K34, 22.8 36.9cm, Ink, with a few additions, much later, in pencil
Although able to conceive of a building’s design through drawings, Thomas Jefferson may be considered
an amateur because of his lack of formal education or an apprenticeship in architecture
(Norton, 1977). Considered the United States of America’s first architect, Jefferson’s education was
classical and included the study of law. Known for his extensive library, Jefferson owned works by
such authors as Vitruvius, Alberti, Palladio, Scamozzi, De L’Orme, Stuart, and Gibbs. He also acquired
volumes concerning the practical aspects of building such as Halfpenny’s Practical Architecture and a
builder’s dictionary.
America’s architectural style had been a Georgian derivation called colonial, until Jefferson instigated
the federal style (Trachtenberg and Hyman, 1986). With his political stature, holding the offices of both
Secretary of State and President, he was able to influence the style of building for the new Capitol in
Washington. Jefferson designed few projects in his lifetime; the campus of the University of Virginia,
and the Capitol building for the state of Virginia, based on the Maison Carrée in Nîmes (Guinness and
Sadler, 1973). The building of his home, called Monticello, became his most recognized architectural
achievement. This hilltop estate references Palladio with a Greek temple façade and a central octagonal
dome perched atop the symmetrical one-story brick structure.
Of the drawings by Jefferson housed in the Coolidge Collection, many are studies in the unforgiving
medium of pen and ink. They appear diagrammatic in nature, due to their preparatory and simplistic
quality. Wall thickness has been represented with single lines, unlike the heavy poché and nuance
of detail and materiality found in drawings by Borromini, for example. As an architect with little construction
experience, Jefferson studied classicism through model books to produce his designs.
This page (Figure 3.5) is a freehand planting plan for the grounds surrounding Monticello. Several
areas have been erased and redrawn throughout the decision process. A single line describes the
house while the proposed driveways are dotted without guidelines. Notes on the page prescribe the
mathematical calculations for the site’s geometry. The most interesting aspect of this page is Jefferson’s
notes to himself for both the location of the trees and the identification of their species. The simplicity
and use of words give this sketch its diagrammatic quality since diagrams typically provide the
most pertinent information while omitting the superfluous.
The semicircular row of trees noted as Lilac, Persian Jasmine, and Daphne has instructions whose
wording follows the curve. From this one may speculate that Jefferson was intending to be absent at the
time of the trees’ planting; therefore, he needed to identify clearly their types. If this diagram was
indeed meant to instruct workers, it would be unlikely that they could calculate the actual geometries
per his notational instructions. As a diagram to document his thinking, it was limited by Jefferson’s ability
to render trees with enough detail so as to identify their species. Especially in plan, the trees would
appear quite similar no matter how competent his rendering skills. It might also be suggested that he
would be available for the planting and the purpose of the diagram was for his own reference. Studying
the organization and symmetry of the different species could best be accomplished by recording their
positions. The sketch could assist Jefferson to plan ahead, ordering or digging the trees before location.
He may also have identified the trees knowing that when the work began, their location and identification
could be confusing. The purpose of the sketch, then, was not to visualize the aesthetic qualities
of the composition but rather to act as a memory device and a document to organize the planting.
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