In 1815 Thomas Jefferson sold his library, the largest one in the United States, to the Congress. In 1851, two-thirds of his books were lost in the fire. Today you can find other copies of those publications at the library of Monticello.
The armchair, 1800–1810. It belonged to Thomas Jefferson, but no one knows where exactly it was placed in the room and how it was used by its owner. Rumor has it that Jefferson sat in it while performing his duties as vice president.
This was, in short, the prototypical home of a mad scientist. One can imagine Jefferson torturing James Bond in one of the mansion’s great cellar spaces.
A card index can be found in one of the drawers of the octahedral table.
Architects’ own homes, especially in the 20th century, have been laboratories of invention. Jefferson’s home is the first in this line.
