The Virginia Historical Society's spacious Robbins Family Theater was filled to capacity on September 9th with Richmond history buffs who came to hear publisher and author James Thompson describe the Idea Men who enlightened France in the mid-18th century, the Salons where their ideas were discussed and debated, and the man who guided Jefferson through the progressive circles of pre-revolutionary Paris into the reform movement that precipitated the French Revolution. Thompson deviated from previous accounts of Jefferson in France, by relating what Jefferson learned from his hosts rather than what he taught them. To learn more about this topic on Jefferson’s visit in Paris read “Thomas Jefferson’s Enlightenment Paris-1785.”
Click Play to watch a recap of James Thompson's presentation.
You are invited to attend James Thompson’s Banner Lecture at the Virginia Historical Society in Richmond on the 11th of September at 12 noon
At noon, author James C. Thompson will discuss his new book, Thomas Jefferson’s Enlightenment—Paris, 1785.
Thomas Jefferson arrived in Paris in August of 1784. He departed for home in the fall of 1789, a few weeks after the bloody beginning of the French Revolution. In the summer of 1785, during a series of excursions with brilliant young Pierre Cabanis, the self-described “savage from the mountains of America” prepared himself to circulate in the world’s most elegant society. James Thompson will describe the circles Jefferson entered and introduce a few of the lumieres he met in them. He accompanies his comments with colorful slides.
James C. Thompson is the author of The Birth of Virginia’s Aristocracy (2009), and The Dubious Achievement of the 1st Continental Congress (2011). Thomas Jefferson’s Enlightenment – Background Notes and The First Revolutions in the Minds of the People are scheduled for release this fall. Mr. Thompson holds degrees in Philosophy from Mr. Jefferson’s University.
Bring a brownbag lunch to nibble on while you learn about Thomas Jefferson’s enlightenment. Please arrive in time to find parking in the VMFA deck, in the lot behind St Mark’s Church on Colonial Avenue, or on the street. Remember, for VMFA members, the deck is free.
Children $4 Members Free (Join today) Seniors $5 Adults $6
Location: Virginia Historical Society, Robins Family Forum
Part of the Banner Lecture Series category.
