$3,500
Estimate: $3,000 - $5,000
Auction: November 12, 2020 10:00:00 AM EDT
Washington (D.C.), December 29, 1802. 4 7/8 x 7 3/4 in. (123 x 196 mm). Autograph document, signed by Thomas Jefferson as President, ordering his business advisor John Barnes to pay É(tienne). Lemaire, staff member in the President's House (The White House), the sum of $91.12; docketed by Lemaire, in French, at bottom; docketed on verso. Creasing from original folds; some spotting at bottom; residue from previous mounting along top edge verso. Lot includes a tobacco card of Jefferson.
John Barnes (1730-1826) acted as a confidant and business advisor to President Thomas Jefferson, founded Christ Church in Georgetown, and, in 1806, was appointed by Jefferson to the role of Collector of Customs at the Port of Georgetown, a role he served in until his death.
Étienne Lemaire (d. 1817) was Thomas Jefferson's second mâitre d'hôtel, or "steward," in the President's House (The White House). Lemaire oversaw the management of the domestic staff, supervising dinner service and dessert, and handling household accounts, while conducting most of the marketing for groceries and other provisions as well.