James Monroe, The Decorator

Nothing in James Monroe’s upbringing indicated his latent taste in the decorative arts.

JM: Orphaned Boy

James Monroe (1758-1831), Virginia born to a middle class planting family, was orphaned by the time he was 16. Into that parentless breach stepped his prominent and benevolent uncle Joseph Jones, with no children of his own. He became in loco parentis for the rest of his life and duly sent him to the College of William and Mary. A year later, when the shots were fired at Lexington and Concord, MA, young James, along with his entire class, immediately rushed to enlist in the Virginia Volunteer Infantry.

He was tall, athletic, smart, brave, and a superb rider – talents that quickly came to the attention of his fellow Virginian, General George Washington, who commissioned him Lieutenant and utilized him regularly as a scout.

JM: Wounded Soldier

During the Battle of Trenton in December…