Happy Mother's Day to Lafayette's Mom -
Marie Louise Jolie de La Rivière

Unfortunately, there is little written about Lafayette's mother. She died on April 3, 1770 at the age of 33 when Lafayette, himself, was only 13. Since Lafayette's father had died 11 years before, his mother's death left Lafayette a very wealthy little boy. It is fascinating to think that such a privileged young man who lost so much so young, would have such a big heart for so many and a true calling for FREEDOM beyond the borders of his own country.

In the portrait below you can clearly see the resemblance between Lafayette and his mother. I don't know if the portrait was taken just prior to his mother's death or after, but one must take a moment of pause to consider the sadness the boy must have been feeling at the loss of his mother. To suddenly be alone in the world at such a tender age. Regardless of his unusual height. Regardless of the fact that children "grew up early back then." Regardless of the fact that he would be married only a year later. The loss of a mother on a boy already fatherless, on a boy already tender-hearted and sympathetic to the plight of those yearning for freedom, must have been felt.

A Rare Portrait of the Marquis de Lafayette as a Teenager, 1773

(This excerpt is taken from Susan Halloway Scott's Blog)

It's rare to see portraits of any of the Founder generation as teenagers. In the 18th century, very few people ever had their portraits painted, and then only after they'd become older, famous, and rich.

But here's a seldom-seen portrait of "American's favorite fighting Frenchman", Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, as a painfully geeky fifteen-year-old in 1773. He was tall for the time at 5’9”, and socially awkward. With popping eyes, a long nose, and small mouth, he was never going to be a handsome man, and he wasn’t at this age, either.

An orphan, he’d already inherited his title, a sizable income, and his family’s estate, and this portrait might have been painted to commemorate his presentation at the French royal court at Versailles. He is certainly dressed for it, in costly silk and lace and a black silk bow at his throat. His cocked hat is tucked beneath his arm, as a gentleman does, and his hand rests lightly on the hilt of his dress sword. The ornamental loop on his shoulder may refer to his rank as second lieutenant in the King's Musketeers.