The Marquis de Lafayette Visiting the State Capitol in Raleigh in March 1825

This print commemorating the visit of the Marquis de Lafayette to Raleigh in March 1825 is the only visual record of the George Washington in the rotunda of the State House. Lafayette had known Washington well, and an eyewitness at the time stated that the marquis thought that “the likeness was so much better than he expected to see.” Unfortunately, this print was produced at least ten years after the marble sculpture was destroyed, so the representation of Canova’s sculpture and of the architectural space is not accurate.