Marquis de Lafayette

The statue depicts Lafayette in civilian dress holding a sword while standing on a marble pedestal. Additional bronze figures decorate the base and tell the story of historical connections.

Lafayette arrived from France in 1777 at age nineteen and joined the Continental Army as a major general under George Washington. His involvement helped secure French support that proved vital to American victory.

The monument displays symbolic figures representing the bond between France and America during the fight for independence. The bronze representations on the base show how the two nations came together in that struggle.

The memorial sits at the intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue and Madison Place Northwest in Lafayette Park, easily reached on foot. Access is free and the park is open during daylight hours for visitors to explore.

Congress approved the monument through a special act in 1885, with completion arriving six years later in 1891. The gap between approval and completion shows how involved the artistic and construction work became.