| Collection |
WSJHS |
| Description |
Portrait doll (hand made) of Revolutionary War financier Haym Salamon- white male figure dressed in period clothing- wears brown tricorn hat, white lace jabot, brown felt long coat, black bed buttons, lace cuffs, black and green striped wool breeches, long weskit of wine and black striped fabric w/ black bead buttons, black cotton stockings, black leather shoes w/ nails, buckles, brown painted hair. Haym Salamon was a Polish born Jew, who had an important roll in financing the American Revolution.
Haym Salomon (1740-1785) was a Polish Jew who immigrated to New York during the period of the American Revolution, and who became a prime financier of the American side during the American Revolutionary War and a founder of the first Philadelphia synagogue, Mikvah Israel. In 1776 the British, who controlled New York City, arrested Salomon; exposure suffered in prison later contributed to his early death. He was paroled but was arrested again in 1778 on more serious charges; he escaped and went to Philadelphia. There he established a brokerage office and acted without salary as the financial agent of the French, doing all in his power to facilitate the Franco-American Alliance. In addition, he made private loans to prominent statesmen such as James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, and James Monroe, from whom he would not take interest. In all, the government owed Salomon more than $600,000. Generations of his descendants tried in vain to collect some portion of these loans, which had helped to impoverish Salomon in his last years. |
| Object Name |
Dolls, portrait |
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