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Dr. Alexander Lawrence Ames @wordinwilderness.bsky.social · 18h

One of Stephen Girard's closest confidants was Joseph Bonaparte, former king of Spain who resided for a time in the Mid-Atlantic and presented Girard with this Canova bust of his brother.

#Canova #Napoleon #StephenGirard #art #busts #statues #materialculture #PortraitofaCitizen

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Dr. Alexander Lawrence Ames @wordinwilderness.bsky.social · 1d

Stephen Girard's library is filled with many atlases and maps, including this example from a volume titled "La pilote américain," published 1778.

Photo by @tracievanaukenphotography.

#PortraitofaCitizen #books #maps #atlases #materialculture #specialcollections #libraryhistory #StephenGirard

Dr. Alexander Lawrence Ames @wordinwilderness.bsky.social · 2d

Though I consider "Portrait of a Citizen" a history of Stephen Girard's library, the survival of so many other pieces of #materialculture helps place his books in the context of the merchant's lived experience. One example is this Daniel Trotter secretary.

#PortraitofaCitizen #materialculture

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Dr. Alexander Lawrence Ames @wordinwilderness.bsky.social · 3d

One of my favorite artifacts I've encountered in my work on "Portrait of a Citizen," and certainly the most unexpected, is Girard's wig. Girard is a rather elusive figure, which makes it striking to experience this aspect of his corporeal existence.

#materialculture #StephenGirard

Dr. Alexander Lawrence Ames @wordinwilderness.bsky.social · 4d

Continuing the #StephenGirard #library Yellow Fever theme, here's another work by Jean Devèze, featuring an inscription to Girard on the half-title page.

#rarebooks #specialcollections #libraries #books #libraryhistory #PortraitofaCitizen

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Dr. Alexander Lawrence Ames @wordinwilderness.bsky.social · 5d

Today’s selection from the #library of #StephenGirard underscores his involvement in the public conversations surrounding Yellow Fever. Dr. Jean Devèze was Girard’s preferred medical leader during the epidemic of 1793, who brought knowledge of the disease with him from experiences in the Caribbean.

Dr. Alexander Lawrence Ames @wordinwilderness.bsky.social · 6d

One of Stephen Girard's notable acts of volunteerism was his work during Philadelphia's Yellow Fever epidemic of 1793. This book's author, the famed publisher Mathew Carey, presented it to Girard in 1830, shortly before the merchant-banker's death.

#rarebooks #PortraitofaCitizen #libraryhistory

Dr. Alexander Lawrence Ames @wordinwilderness.bsky.social · 7d

Stephen Girard seems to have been very focused on developing his penmanship skills, which were an important business tool. This book is just one example from his library that documents the businessman's focus on self-improvement.

#materialtexts #marginalia #books #libraries #materialculture

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Dr. Alexander Lawrence Ames @wordinwilderness.bsky.social · 8d

Stephen Girard seems to have had a particular fondness for Jean-Jacques Rousseau, having named his most famous vessel after Rousseau, and owning this bust of the philosophe by Jean-Antoine Houdon.

#PortraitofaCitizen #StephenGirard #materialculture #decorativearts

Dr. Alexander Lawrence Ames @wordinwilderness.bsky.social · 9d

Having arrived in Philadelphia in the summer of 1776, Stephen Girard seems to have identified closely with the revolutionary moment for the rest of his life. We see this in his library, which is filled with books like this.

#rarebooks #bookhistory #StephenGirard #PortraitofaCitizen

Dr. Alexander Lawrence Ames @wordinwilderness.bsky.social · 10d

Every research project I've pursued had a moment of inspiration when I found myself immersed in a space that pointed me in an interpretive direction. For "Portrait of a Citizen," this moment came when I encountered busts of Voltaire, Rousseau, and Napoleon owned by #StephenGirard.

Dr. Alexander Lawrence Ames @wordinwilderness.bsky.social · 11d

Stephen Girard had a particular interest in the works of Claude Adrien Helvétius, naming one of the famous “Philosopher Ships” after the controversial philosophe. Fortunately, a portrait of the ship survives today at the Independence Seaport Museum.

#rarebooks #maritimehistory #ships

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Dr. Alexander Lawrence Ames @wordinwilderness.bsky.social · 12d

One of the joys of working on #PortraitofaCitizen has been the opportunity to spend quality time with beautifully bound books from the collection of #StephenGirard and other eighteenth and nineteenth-century readers. Girard's set of the works of #Voltaire is especially beautiful, I think.

Dr. Alexander Lawrence Ames @wordinwilderness.bsky.social · 13d

Another of Stephen Girard’s favorite philosophes was Claude Adrien Helvétius. Helvétius was very famous and highly controversial in his day for his major work, “De l'esprit,” Girard’s copy seen here.

#PortraitofaCitizen #bookhistory

Dr. Alexander Lawrence Ames @wordinwilderness.bsky.social · 14d

Voltaire was a favorite of Stephen Girard, who owned a set of the famous philosophe's works and even named one of his Philadelphia-built merchant ships after him. Here's a frontispiece of Voltaire from one of Girard's volumes, housed at Founder's Hall, Girard College.

#libraryhistory #rarebooks

Dr. Alexander Lawrence Ames @wordinwilderness.bsky.social · 15d

Check out these lovely marbled endpapers in Girard's set of Voltaire, as well as the Girard College bookplate!

#exlibris #bookplates

Dr. Alexander Lawrence Ames @wordinwilderness.bsky.social · 16d

My years at the @rosenbachmuseum.bsky.social have turned me into a big fan of rare book glamor shots, so I'm excited to feature many in my forthcoming book "Portrait of a Citizen." Here's a volume of Voltaire from Stephen Girard's library.

#rarebooks #libraries #libraryhistory

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Dr. Alexander Lawrence Ames @wordinwilderness.bsky.social · 17d

Here's Stephen Girard's copy of George Bickham's ubiquitous penmanship manual "The Universal Penman."

#penmanship #calligraphy #handwriting

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Dr. Alexander Lawrence Ames @wordinwilderness.bsky.social · 18d

Here's the photo of Girard's vessel the ROUSSEAU, which, with the Bass Otis portrait at @rosenbachmuseum.bsky.social, inspired my forthcoming book "Portrait of a Citizen." This sailing vessel was probably the most famous in the American fleet by the end of the 19th century.

#materialculture

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Dr. Alexander Lawrence Ames @wordinwilderness.bsky.social · 19d

Thank you, @axe99.bsky.social!

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Dr. Alexander Lawrence Ames @wordinwilderness.bsky.social · 19d

Learn more about the book here! www.degruyterbrill.com/document/isb...

Portrait of a Citizen

The émigré merchant Stephen Girard of Philadelphia (1750–1831) embodied many of the values associated with the revolutionary American republic he chose to call home. After haphazardly arriving in Phil...

www.degruyterbrill.com

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Dr. Alexander Lawrence Ames @wordinwilderness.bsky.social · 19d

I found inspiration for this topic seven years ago, both by means of the Bass Otis portrait of Girard at the Rosenbach Museum & Library and a photo of Girard’s ship the ROUSSEAU. In the run-up to publication, I will share some of the artifacts and documents I encountered as part of my research.

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Dr. Alexander Lawrence Ames @wordinwilderness.bsky.social · 19d

I am very pleased to share the cover art for my forthcoming book, “Portrait of a Citizen: Stephen Girard, Mariner, Merchant, Banker, and Philanthropist of the Early American Republic,” scheduled for publication by @degruyterbrill.bsky.social on February 13, 2026!

#maritimehistory #materialculture

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Dr. Alexander Lawrence Ames @wordinwilderness.bsky.social · Sep 21

I so enjoyed visiting the Salmagundi Club for the first time, after having helped them a bit with their #bookplate exhibition.

#libraries #specialcollections #art #clubs #exlibris

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Dr. Alexander Lawrence Ames @wordinwilderness.bsky.social · Sep 21

My trip to the Salmagundi Club in New York today included a stop by Marianne Moore's final home. Her living room from this apartment is installed as a period room at the Rosenbach Museum, so in a way I've been here many times before. 🤯

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