Up Next: "Drudging at the Writing Table"
After his morning routine, Thomas Jefferson settled into a lengthy period of letter-writing: "From sun-rise to one or two o'clock," he noted, "I am drudging at the writing table."
"But whether I retire to bed early or late, I rise with the sun."
- Thomas Jefferson to Dr. Vine Utley, March 21, 1819
A typical day for Jefferson started early. He told of a fifty-year period in which the sun had never caught him in bed; he rose as soon as he could read the hands of the clock kept directly opposite his bed.
Record-keeping
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Jefferson designed this Obelisk Clock, which stood at the foot of his bed.
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After rising, Jefferson measured and recorded the temperature. Around four o'clock in the afternoon, Jefferson repeated the measurement, as he found "the hottest point of the 24 hours is about four o'clock . . . and the dawn of the day the coldest."
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He also recorded the direction and speed of the wind and the amount of precipitation. From indoors, Jefferson could read the wind direction using a compass rose (connected to the weathervane directly above it) on the Northeast Portico's ceiling.
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Jefferson made note of the weather and other indexes of climate, such as the migration of birds and the appearance of flowers, throughout his life, wherever he was, including France, Washington, and Philadelphia. He shared his records with others in the hope of creating a national database of meteorological information.
Morning Preparations
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After his record-keeping, Jefferson started his own fire and soaked his feet in cold water. He maintained the foot bath for sixty years and attributed his good health in part to this habit.
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Jefferson's clothes, according to his granddaughter, were "simple and adapted to his ideas of neatness and comfort . . . and sometimes blending the fashions of several periods." (Image courtesy Cabana Magazine.)
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Among his collection of pocket-sized devices were scales, drawing instruments, a thermometer, a surveying compass, a level, and even a globe.
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To record all these measurements, Jefferson carried a small ivory notebook on which he could write in pencil.
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Back in his Cabinet, or office, he later copied the information into any of seven books in which he kept records about his garden, farms, finances, and other concerns; he then erased the writing in the ivory notebook.
Mechanical Inventions
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Jefferson kept clothes in a closet at the foot of his bed, on what his grandson-in-law called a "turning-machine" (pictured). Another guest reported: "In a recess at the foot of the bed was a horse with forty-eight projecting hands on which hung his coats and waistcoats and which he could turn round with a long stick; a knick-knack that Jefferson was fond of showing with many other little mechanical inventions."
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Monticello was filled with innovations, many of which Jefferson adapted or designed "with a greater eye to convenience."
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As in the rest of the house, the bedroom's furnishings illustrate many of Jefferson's ideas about the efficient use of time, space, and light, including prominently placed clocks, space-saving alcove beds, and light-maximizing mirrors.
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Just as Jefferson's closet once featured an innovative "turning machine" which held his clothes, other rooms in the house contain similar devices. The Dining Room, located directly over the wine cellar, contains two dumbwaiters which carry wine up from the basement.
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The Parlor has a set of "magic" doors, so that as one door opens or closes, the other follows automatically.
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The Cabinet, in which Jefferson wrote letters, performed scientific experiments, and designed buildings, was filled with state-of-the-art devices, including a copying machine, to help him in his work.
"Mr. Jefferson's Stature Was Commanding . . ."
Recalled namesake grandson Thomas Jefferson Randolph:
"Mr. Jefferson's hair, when young, was of a reddish cast; sandy as he advanced in years; his eye, hazel. . . . Mr. Jefferson's stature was commanding -- six feet two-and-a half inches in height, well formed, indicating strength, activity, and robust health; his carriage erect; step firm and elastic, which he preserved to his death; his temper, naturally strong, under perfect control; his courage cool and impassive . . . . it was remarked of him that he never abandoned a plan, a principle, or a friend."
"His Dress Was Simple"
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This statue of Jefferson, completed in 2008, is based on existing portraits and proportioned to his surviving clothing.
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According to Jefferson's granddaughter Ellen, Jefferson's dress "was simple, and adapted to his ideas of neatness and comfort. He paid little attention to fashion, wearing whatever he liked best, and sometimes blending the fashions of several different periods."
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"He wore long waistcoats, when the mode was for very short; white cambric stocks fastened behind with a buckle, when cravats were universal."
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"He adopted the pantaloon very late in life, because he found it more comfortable and convenient, and cut off his queue for the same reason. He made no change except from motives of the same kind, and did nothing to be in conformity with the fashion of the day. He considered such independence as the privilege of his age."
Design and Decor
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President Franklin D. Roosevelt, a frequent visitor to the mountaintop during his presidency, noted that "Monticello appeals to me as an expression of the personality of its builder. . . . In the very furnishings which Jefferson devised on his own drawing board. . . there speaks ready capacity for detail, and above all, creative genius."
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Jefferson's Bedroom contains many examples of his creativity and obsession with the details of Monticello. The obelisk clock at the foot of his bed, for instance, was made according to Jefferson's design, as were the curtains at his windows, and the counterpane on his bed.
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Detail from Jefferson’s instructions for designing an "Obelisk Clock", April 6, 1790
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Jefferson saw alcove beds during his years in France, and admired the space-saving qualities of these beds built into walls. Upon his return from Europe, Jefferson redesigned Monticello, adding at least one alcove and sometimes two in every bedroom.
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A continual innovator, he varied the design for his own bed, leaving both sides open to loosely connect his bedroom with his study.
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He also saved space by placing closets in the walls over his and other beds. His closet -- which has openings for air and light -- was accessible via a small ladder kept at the head of the bed.
Maximum Lighting
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Windows and Light at Monticello
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Jefferson maximized natural lighting throughout the house. His private rooms, like the others on the first floor, feature large triple-sash windows. The bottom two portions may be raised to form a doorway, or the bottom sash can be raised, the top lowered, to encourage cross-ventilation.
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Sky-lights flood Jefferson's Bedroom and the Dining Room with light, and third-floor bedrooms at Monticello are lit exclusively with sky-lights.
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In many rooms, such as Jefferson's Bedroom and the Parlor, strategically placed mirrors maximize light from both windows and candles.