Designing America - Pierre Eugene du Simitiere Translates Letters to Canada
Pierre Eugene du Simitiere was a Philadelphia artist who contracted with the Continental Congress on several occasions to help create America’s image.
Among Simitiere’s many accomplishments was drawing the portraits of most members of the Continental Congress.
Pierre Eugene du Simitiere
By the outbreak of the Revolutionary War, Pierre Eugene du Simitiere was already an artist and historian of some renown in Philadelphia.
A native of Switzerland, Simitiere spent several years living in the Caribbean before making his home in Pennsylvania. where he painted profile portraits of most of the high-profile Revolutionaries who came through town.
Pierre’s corky lifestyle and charmed many of the more famous Founders, giving him the opportunity to participate in the creation of the United States in several interesting ways.
Letters to Canada
After the First Continental Congress, the Founders decided to contact Canada to see if they were interested in joining the protest against the crown.
It was suspected that the French Canadians (who had just become British a decade before, in the aftermath of the French and Indian War) would be excited to rebel against their new monarch. Although this was an incorrect assumption, the decision was made to publish a letter in the Canadian papers.
The Letter to the Inhabitants of the Province of Quebec was primarily written by John Dickinson. But, seeing as the French Canadians would prefer to read the Letter in French, Simitiere was hired to translate it.
The following year another Letter (this time written by John Jay) was also translated by Pierre.
Designing America
Founding the United States was a large task, with more than just war and politics to accomplish.
Simitiere was asked to design a medal to reward George Washington for his service. This is the first known time the Eye of Providence (AKA the All Seeing Eye) was recommended for an official publication by the nation.
Furthermore, Pierre is credited with proposing the country’s motto...E pluribus unum.
Additionally, he designed State Seals for Virginia, Georgia, New Jersey and Delaware, though not all were approved by the States.
Collections
Perhaps most interesting about Simitiere was his attempt to document the American Revolution.
Knowing he lived in strange times, Pierre was snipping articles out of newspapers and gluing them into his own books in an attempt to collect every future artifact he could find.
After the war, Simitiere opened a proto-natural history museum to display many of the unique items he collected throughout his life.
In 1785, Pierre had a large sale of his personal coin collection. This was the first time a sale of this nature took place in the United States and, therefore, Simitiere can be credited as the Father of American Numismatics.
Want to read about more Founders of the Ohio Valley?
Great! Check out these articles:
Thomas Worthington Fathers Ohio
Daniel Brodhead and the Coshocton Expedition
Johnny Appleseed as an American Founder
Return Jonathan Meigs was one of a handful of men who kept a journal during Arnold’s march through Maine.
‘Voices From a Wilderness Expedition’ compiles all of these journals and more to tell a story of Patriots in hellish conditions torn between service to their country and survival in a dangerous place.
Pick up a copy through the Amazon affiliate link below (you’ll support this site, but don’t worry, Amazon pays me while your price stays the same).
