【saint sebastian eroticism】
America’s First Connoisseur
Best of 2020
We’re away until January 4, but we’re reposting some of our favorite pieces from 2020. Enjoy your holiday!
Seth Gilliam as James Hemings in Jefferson in Paris(1995)
Among his many claims to distinction, Thomas Jefferson can be regarded as America’s first connoisseur. The term and the concept emerged among the philosophes of eighteenth-century Paris, where Jefferson lived between 1784 and 1789. As minister to France he gorged on French culture. In five years, he bought more than sixty oil paintings, and many more objets d’art. He attended countless operas, plays, recitals, and masquerade balls. He researched the latest discoveries in botany, zoology and horticulture, and read inveterately—poetry, history, philosophy. In every inch of Paris he found something to stir his senses and cultivate his expertise. “Were I to proceed to tell you how much I enjoy their architecture, sculpture, painting, music,” he wrote a friend back in America, “I should want words.”
Ultimately, he poured all these influences into Monticello, the plantation he inherited from his father, which Jefferson redesigned into a palace of his own refined tastes. More than in its domed ceilings, its gardens, or its galleries, it was in Monticello’s dining room that Jefferson the connoisseur reigned. Here, he shared with his guests recipes, produce, and ideas that continue to have a sizable effect on how and what Americans eat.
Read more >>
Search
Categories
Latest Posts
Report: Match Group dating apps conceal assault cases
2025-06-26 23:08The Song Stuck in My Head by Sadie Stein
2025-06-26 22:59Before Writers Hated Computers, They Loved Word Processors
2025-06-26 22:19Richard Fariña’s “Been So Down It Looks Like Up to Me” Turns 50
2025-06-26 21:52Popular Posts
Watch: Ben Lerner Remembers Writing His First Poetry Collection
2025-06-26 22:41R. Crumb Is Still Weird (Thank God!)
2025-06-26 22:18China just built the world's biggest floating solar project
2025-06-26 21:59Featured Posts
Minions makes $125M because Gen Z is obsessed with it
2025-06-27 00:02Exotic Pets of the Twenties and Thirties
2025-06-26 23:10The Best Sports Video Game of All Time
2025-06-26 22:54Popular Articles
Lego free Valentine's Day Heart: How to get free Lego
2025-06-27 00:02Little Match Girl: Taking Abuse on the Internet
2025-06-26 23:33On Arthur Anderson, the Voice of the Lucky Charms Leprechaun
2025-06-26 22:03Where to buy sex toys online: 17 places to help you get off
2025-06-26 21:45Newsletter
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates.
Comments (4489)
Exploration Information Network
GPU Availability and Pricing Update: April 2022
2025-06-27 00:16Charm Information Network
Before Writers Hated Computers, They Loved Word Processors
2025-06-26 23:58Treasure Information Network
'Quordle' today: See each 'Quordle' answer and hints for October 14, 2023
2025-06-26 23:17Steady Information Network
On Shakespeare and Lice
2025-06-26 22:31Dream Information Network
Celtic vs. Bayern Munich 2025 livestream: Watch Champions League for free
2025-06-26 21:50