Tribute to Pierre Charles L’Enfant - 200th Anniversary of his Death

Pierre Charles L’Enfant was the second son of Pierre Lenfant (1704-1787) and Marie Charlotte Leullier (1729-1755). His father was an official painter to the Court of France. He notably produced war scenes now preserved at the Palace of Versailles. Pierre Lenfant is heir to an artistic tradition linked to the Gobelins Manufactory.

Transatlantic 

It was precisely with his father that he studied art at the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture between 1771 and 1776. Similarly, the young Pierre Charles witnessed the work at Versailles by Jacques-Ange Gabriel. At that time, the French school of architecture dominated the European scene. In 1755, Abbé Marc-Antoine Laugier defined the neoclassical canons, following in the footsteps of masters such as Le Vau and Mansart, in his work Essay on Architecture. A book that Pierre Charles L'Enfant and the American politician Thomas Jefferson likely consulted. 

At the age of 22, Pierre Charles volunteered to join the European Continental Army. In 1776, he boarded the Amphitrite and reached North America, followed by La Fayette in 1777. The American War of Independence took place from 1775 to 1782 and pitted the thirteen English colonies of North America against England. During the Siege of Savannah in 1779, P.C. L'Enfant was seriously injured but continued to serve as a military engineer. This war ended with the Treaty of Paris. On September 3, 1783, Great Britain recognized the independence of the United States.

In honor of the Franco-American brotherhood in arms, the Cincinnati Society was created that same year with George Washington as president. The Society was divided into fourteen branches, one for each of the founding states and one for the Kingdom of France, which joined the Society in 1784. Pierre Charles L'Enfant was then tasked with conveying the message to France and producing a commemorative medal. The medal featured an American eagle and the colors blue for America and white for France.

A Frenchman as an Architect 

These efforts for the Americas were recognized by Congress, which appointed L'Enfant Major of Engineers in 1783. After returning to Paris at the end of the war, he moved to New York in 1784. The Frenchman completed several small projects, such as the renovation of the former City Hall into Federal Hall, intended for the United States Congress (1788-1789). He earned praise from General President Washington for this work.

The most important project L'Enfant was responsible for, and also the one that led to his downfall. After the war, the Founding Fathers, including George Washington (1732-1799), Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), and Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), deemed it preferable for the federal capital to be equidistant from north and south. Thus, on July 16, 1790, the Residence Act defined the territory that would house the future Washington, D.C., along the Potomac River, covering an area of ten square miles (nearly 25.9 square kilometers).  

The architect then began preparatory work in 1791 with surveyors such as Joseph Ellicott, the Andrew brothers, and Benjamin Banneker. Although Thomas Jefferson proposed a list of cities to the architect to draw inspiration from, he took some liberties by creating a checkerboard crisscrossed by diagonals and decorated with circular points, modeled on the gardens of Versailles.

Unfortunately, Pierre Charles L’Enfant's uncompromising nature, coupled with his demands, which were deemed excessive, led to his resignation in February 1792. The land allocated was not entirely untouched. Some notable residences, including Daniel Carroll's, were not considered by L’Enfant, who wanted to demolish them. Moreover, his salary request of $95,500 was exorbitant. Congress paid him $3,800. By comparison, surveyors were generally paid between two and five dollars per day. L’Enfant left with the plans, leaving no trace of his project.

The neoclassical plan was copied by the architect's collaborators from memory. The Capitol and the President's House, or White House, were built according to the Frenchman's design.

Eclipse and Return to Memory 

Pierre Charles L’Enfant finally took refuge with friends in Maryland until his death on June 14, 1825, without any recognition or a penny. It was only a few decades later, in 1909, that his body was moved to Arlington National Cemetery. Congress erected a monument in his name for his burial.

Notorious Portrait 

The famous architect is depicted in profile with his torso cut off, as if it were a sculpted bust. The color scheme is pale and muted. The blue background highlights the ochre of the man's clothing.

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