Anne-César, chevalier de La Luzerne

In 1782, Anne-César, chevalier de La Luzerne served as the French ambassador to the United States. He lived in Philadelphia to keep in touch with the Continental Congress. To celebrate the birth of the Dauphin, the heir to the French throne, La Luzerne commissioned Pierre Charles L’Enfant to design an open-air pavilion in Philadelphia that would be the site of an elaborate party.

Chevalier de La Luzerne
Painted by Charles Willson Peale
1781-1782
Oil and Canvas
Courtesy of Independence National Historical Park