Alley Jordan (University of Edinburgh): “Beautiful shells from the shore” Thomas Jefferson’s Sacred Grotto of 1771

Alley Jordan (University of Edinburgh): “Beautiful shells from the shore” Thomas Jefferson’s Sacred Grotto of 1771

Alley Jordan looks at evocations of the seascape in 18th-century gardens which took hold in Great Britain mid-century. She addresses Diaspora in its literal sense –derived from the classical Greek and meaning to ‘scatter’ – and investigates how the American statesman, Thomas Jefferson, embraced the European fashions of water in his Virginian estate. Alley outstrips Jefferson’s strict figure of statecraft by exploring the inspirations behind his aquatic garden. She argues that Jefferson’s greater engagement with classicism in the Enlightenment demonstrates how the scattering of ideas from abroad influenced America’s founding fathers.

Diaspora Studies Graduate Programme