Many household items enjoyed by the Jefferson family are available to customers today because of a growing reproductions program sponsored by the Thomas Jefferson Foundation for sale through our Monticello Museum Shop.
Reproductions available through Monticello's Museum Shop include Jefferson cups and goblets and his wine glasses, the seau crenélé (a porcelain bowl used for cooling wine glasses), the revolving bookstand Jefferson used in his Cabinet, a campeachy chair (reproduced from one made in the Monticello Joiner), and a framed Declaration of Independence.
In addition to reproductions, the Foundation also offers gifts inspired by Jefferson and Monticello, including Jefferson cups and pillows that carry familiar Jefferson quotations.
The Thomas Jefferson Foundation initiated its reproductions program in the 1930s. In the early 1960s, the Kirk-Stieff Company, America's oldest silversmiths, began manufacturing licensed pewter and sterling Jefferson cups, so named because they were made from Jefferson's own design. Since that successful beginning, the Foundation has worked with a small but select group of industry leaders to capture the unique charm and excellence of Jefferson's home in painstakingly-made home furnishings and decorative giftware.
Monticello strives to uphold Jefferson's own high standards with a review process that involves a wide spectrum of people throughout the Foundation in developing ideas for new reproductions and adaptations. The Director of Museum Sales identifies potential licensing partners. Members of the Curatorial and Restoration Departments approve prototypes, and researchers review the wording of historical information that accompanies each reproduction.