The Arthur H. and Mary Marden Dean Lafayette Collection

This collection comprises over 10,000 items concerning the life and career of Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, marquis de Lafayette (1757-1834), best known for his role in the American and French Revolutions. The Lafayette Collection includes manuscripts, correspondence and documents, graphics, broadsides, and printed books, as well as microforms, artifacts and memorabilia.

Hailed in his time as "the friend of Washington," "hero of three revolutions" and "defender of liberty," Lafayette played a significant role in the American and French Revolutions, and worked to bring the newly formed United States to the European political consciousness. Through his voluminous correspondence, Lafayette sustained a lifelong exchange with political leaders, social reformers, writers, and ordinary people who, like him, were engaged in the liberationist struggles and liberal ideas of the day.

This Web site offers a comprehensive finding aid to the manuscripts, letters and other documents in the Lafayette Collection, as well as a selection of digitized facsimiles from the collection.

Link to RMC's French Revolution web page for other related collections.