Salomon, Louis to John Badollet, January 6, 1817
| Description: |
In this letter, Salomon begins by diving into a discussion of the nature of time and old age, likening them to an overseer he managed to offend by eating ragout with macaroni. He mentions that he’s charmed that Badollet has taken an active interest in education; Gardiner has told Salomon that Badollet’s office is paying him well, and Salomon hopes this is true, as he knows how bad fortune can sometimes spoil seemingly prosperous ventures. He mentions something about being pleased that Badollet is needed in Washington, and says that if he has nothing to claim, he should make something up and band together with the other claimants against Congress. The Magistrate is returning to Paris to meet with the king and General Lafayette, and Cazenove is interested in investing in Badollet’s land. An acquaintance named John had to institutionalize his wife at a boardinghouse on the lake near Yverdon in Switzerland, and she recently escaped, but was later found wandering the streets of the village. Salomon wants Badollet to come visit while his nephew is there in Washington in the spring, and also says that over the past 15 months, he’s become intimately close to and moved in with an Italian sculptor who knows very little English and has been commissioned to create artwork for the Capitol. He has also done portraits of many great men: Madison, Jefferson, Decatur, Rogers, Jackson [misspelled Jacson], Gallatin, Monroe, and more, and at the time was working on a portrayal of History riding in a Greek chariot pulled by the wings of time. It is believed that Salomon is describing the “Car of History Clock” by Italian sculptor Carlo Franzoni. On the subject of Geneva, Salomon has no news, and the last thing he includes in the letter is a song his brother wrote and sang to Mr. Desarts [possibly a magistrate] before he returned to Switzerland. |
|---|---|
| Origin: | 1817-01-06 |
| Source: |
http://indianamemory.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p16066coll35/id/301 |
| Collection: |
Vincennes University Archives |
| Copyright: |
Digital image ©2015 Vincennes University |
| Geography: |
United States -- Indiana -- Knox County -- Vincennes -- January 6, 1817 |
| Subjects: |
Badollet, John, 1757-1837 -- Correspondence Badollet, John, 1757-1837 -- Friends and associates Gallatin, Albert, 1761-1849 |
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