In 1790, military officer Marquis de Lafayette gifted a historical drawing from the French Revolution to President George Washington, who valued the artwork until his death. This drawing, titled "The Destruction of the Bastille" (1789), was created by architect Étienne-Louis-Denis Cathala, who oversaw the demolition of the Bastille following its takeover by revolutionaries on July 14, 1789.
Lafayette, after returning from the American Revolutionary War, was appointed commander-in-chief of the Parisian National Guard. He sent the drawing to Washington along with the key to the Bastille's westside portal as a symbol of their friendship and a testament to liberty over tyranny. Washington displayed the drawing in his presidential homes and later at Mount Vernon until he died in 1799. Lafayette later encountered the drawing again during a visit to Mount Vernon.
Now, Cathala's drawing is set to be auctioned at Freeman’s | Hindman Books and Manuscripts sale on September 10, after being displayed in Paris for the first time since 1790. It has traveled from New York to Chicago before arriving in Philadelphia for the auction, expected to fetch up to $800,000.
Darren Winston from Freeman’s stated, “It seems only fitting that it returns to Paris, the heart of French democracy, before being sold in Philadelphia, the cradle of American democracy.”
Sayart / Amia Nguyen, amyngwyen13@gmail.com
