The Jefferson - Hemings Controversy

The Answer Would Have Been Paris

Caroline Nype

"London was cleaner, Rome more ancient, Venice more magical, Vienna cozier; you might eat better in Lyon, trade better in Bordeaux, sleep better almost anywhere; it was dirty, noisy, expensive; but if you had asked almost anyone where he or she wanted to go, the answer would have been Paris."

[1] Olivier Bernier's words from Pleasure and Privilege inspired the vibrant and culturally enriched portrayal of late 1700's Paris depicted in Merchant and Ivory's Jefferson in Paris (1995). Our third president Thomas Jefferson arrived there in 1784 and was mesmerized by this beauty and culture. It was in the city of love that he gave his heart to the beautiful and talented Maria Cosway. Director James Ivory provided a colorful and lively portrayal of the famous romance in his film, in which the trajectory of Jefferson's relationship with Cosway can be described in five stages: the debut, courtship, deeper connection, overwhelming love, and the dissolution. Ivory uses each of these phases to describe a fairy tale love story that inevitably is not able to withstand the strains of life's hardships and the test of time.

[2] From the first moment they are introduced, it is clear that Cosway and Jefferson share a not only physical chemistry but a mental connection. The film uses the intimate dinner to provide our protagonists with the perfect setting to get to know each other and to immerse themselves in conversation. Ivory immediately makes us aware that Cosway is not like the average woman. She is intelligent, sophisticated, talented and, above all, not afraid to state her opinion. She immediately questions his ability to wish to introduce Patsy to French society but not its morals or customs when he gives her a scolding look for trying wine. She points out his hypocrisy and in turn opens his mind and his heart to fully adapting to the rich culture that surrounds him. Cosway tells Jefferson that he needs to stop being so closed-minded in regards to absorbing a different moral code than the one with which he has grown up. She tugs at his heartstrings by wondering about his home, America. He replies, "the question is as large as the subject on which she wonders." She is able to ask Jefferson about complex moral issues and subjects that matter to him, which demonstrates to the audience that she is an incredibly complex woman not just a pretty face like we would assume of the other women of French society.

[3] As Cosway and Jefferson venture deeper into their relationship, they begin to realize their similarities and enjoy being in each other's company. Cosway is able to captivate Jefferson with her incredible mind. The film provides a scene in which Jefferson is taking a walk in the woods and runs into her rebuffing the advances of Monsieur D'Hancarville. She explains every man of society has to love a married woman and that he has simply chosen Cosway. When Jefferson remarks that he believes Cosway is playing with the emotions of the men around her, she explains that love in Paris is a game that everyone plays. In Italy, she remarks, love is something you kill for. These lines demonstrate that love is not something Cosway takes lightly. Although she has been around Parisian society long enough to understand its inner workings, her Italian heritage has taught her to take love very seriously, and Ivory is telling the audience that the love between Jefferson and Cosway will not be a game. After her expression of what love means to her, Jefferson is able to open his heart for the first time since his late wife Martha's death and tell Cosway about the pain he went through after his children passed. The audience is able to watch as Jefferson falls in love with Cosway's compassion and honesty about her emotions. This critical scene is the segue into the relationship's next phase, the courtship.

[4] As Jefferson and Cosway enter into the courtship phase of their romance, Ivory provides captivating scenes to demonstrate the initial attraction shared between the two, one in a game in public and the other in a church in private. Cosway's husband Richard Cosway introduces the high society of Paris to a game he entitles Head and Heart, in which people must reply to each other's phrases in a manner that either their head or their heart would respond. This can only be seen as Ivory's reference to Jefferson's famous letter to Cosway in which his head and his heart argue. Perhaps Ivory is suggesting that this was the inspiration for Jefferson's ability to express his true emotions to Maria and that this game simply proved a perfect practice. Cosway resides on the side of the heart, and Jefferson is placed on the side of the head. This small scene, which may seem insignificant, is extremely important because it demonstrates that Cosway was always able to think with her heart and that she wished to open Jefferson's eyes to seeing the world through his heart and not his head. He came to France with a great political and socially conscious mind, but because of his affair with Cosway, he was open to follow his heart as well. The flirtations between the two are clearly seen as they respond to each other on their respective sides. The game involving a large group of people has now transitioned into an excuse for flirtation.

[5] Another scene that helps us understand the second phase of their relationship takes place in an old church, which Jefferson refers to as "ill formed, an overloaded monstrosity." This barb causes Cosway to divulge that at seventeen she wanted to become a Nun, at which Jefferson scoffs, claiming she is the opposite of what he believes encompasses a woman of the church. He remarks that she is too colorful and full of life to devote herself to something so black and white. She is of this world, not of the next. Cosway turns this passion for color into her incredible artistic talent, which Jefferson idealizes as yet another trait that makes Cosway so delectable. She is so open about not only herself but about her deepest thoughts and desires that she is able to draw Jefferson out of his head and into the world of emotions. We learn that after his wife died, Jefferson burnt all of the correspondence that demonstrated their love because he never wanted anyone else to understand the love and intimate relationship he shared with Martha. Because of the game and the church scenes, Ivory enables the audience to fall in love along with Jefferson and Cosway. We are able to understand how they grow together and how they fall in love.

[6] As the relationship progresses to its next phase in the film, a deeper connection, a new dynamic enters into the picture. Patsy, who has become accustomed to being the only woman in her father's life, becomes jealous of Cosway, whose musical talents outshine her own. Cosway and Jefferson have become aware of their deeply rooted and ever growing feelings for each other and are now finding ways to intertwine themselves in other aspects of their lives -- which means, in Jefferson's case, his family. I found one of the most powerful scenes of the movie to be when we see Cosway and Jefferson playing the same duet he played with Patsy earlier in the film. The discontent his daughter feels is immediately apparent, and Jefferson's ability to bond with the women in his life through music is once again portrayed. Jefferson is able to connect with Cosway through not only intellect and looks but through art and music.

[7] This mutual affection is demonstrated even more powerfully when Jefferson must leave Paris for business. The desperation that the pair feel while being separated is perfectly shown in their letters. Their correspondence is openly affectionate and no longer hides sentiments behind vague words or gestures. Their fondness and growing love for each other is finally spoken about openly, and we are able to watch their love blossom like a beautiful rose in the spring. Jefferson's business trip is the perfect segue for Ivory to introduce the audience to the romantic gesture of writing letters that would later turn into Jefferson's famous "Head and Heart." These scenes also help the audience grow with the love affair and help us become invested in the pair. Cosway and Jefferson unmistakably miss each other and go to great lengths to remain in constant contact.

[8] Cosway even ventures to Patsy's convent to speak with her about Jefferson. She begins the conversation by anxiously asking if Patsy knows when Jefferson will return and expresses fondness for her father. Cosway even is so bold as to tell Patsy that she wishes to be her friend and tries to relate to her by telling Patsy the story about how many of her siblings died. This conversation brings the two women closer over a shared love for Jefferson, even though inevitably Patsy tells Cosway that Jefferson swore to never marry again according to the wishes of her late mother. This sequence of events is used by Ivory to show how much Cosway cares for Jefferson. She wishes to be close to his children, which a woman would only do if she planned on spending a large quantity of time with their father.

[9] From the moment Jefferson returns, his romantic relationship with Cosway has openly entered into its next phase, overwhelming love. They walk arm in arm at gatherings and do not seem to care about discretion when it comes to demonstrating their affection for one another. When they attend an afternoon festivity at Versaille, they leave the crowd and go to take a romantic stroll in the woods. This is a critical scene in Jefferson in Paris because it is the crescendo of their relationship. Cosway expresses how she wishes she could fly off to America like the balloon they were chasing to be with Jefferson at Monticello. She is willing to leave everyone and everything she knows to pursue a life with Jefferson in a land unlike anything she has ever experienced. She even admits her husband has discussed the possibility with her and wants her to follow her heart.

[10] I think the openness about Mr. Cosway being gay is Ivory's genius to have Cosway remain a likeable character. If the audience believed that she was being unfaithful to a loving and devoted husband, the viewers would resent not only her but also her relationship with Jefferson. Jefferson mirrors Cosway's sentiments and speaks almost poetically as he discusses the impossibility of his heart to go on should there be an ocean in between them. In the culmination of the lover's conversation, they share an intimate and passionate kiss that prompts Jefferson to tell her he would break his vows to his wife to be with her. He decides that the earth belongs to the living and that he loves her enough to steal her away and marry her. Ivory perfectly captures the exhilaration of the moment when he shows Jefferson attempting to leap over a log to show Cosway how he would do anything to be with her. He accidentally hurts his wrist because he is so overcome with emotion that he injures himself in order to show her. This leap of devotion helps us understand how powerful his love is for her and the true connection between the two.

[11] In a surprising plot twist, Cosway's husband whisks her off to London without warning. Jefferson is home with his injured wrist and therefore cannot write long love letters to Cosway, but he manages to tell her that when she returns, he will never let her out of his sight again. Tragedy strikes when Jefferson learns his daughter Lucy has died of whooping cough. He becomes extremely distraught and leans heavily on Patsy. She has been the woman in his life for so long, and losing another family member strengthens the bond between them. He seems to become reinvested in the promise he made to Martha and stops writing to Cosway so that he can focus all his energy on bringing his family back together. He sends for Polly to be brought over from Monticello. Enter for the first time in film history Sally Hemings, Polly's nursemaid. This tragic death of Lucy and the resultant arrival of Sally sparks the final stage of the relationship between Cosway and Jefferson, its tragic conclusion.

[12] The decline of Maria and Jefferson's relationship begins when Maria comes back from London. She immediately goes to visit Jefferson only to be greeted by Sally, who, she comments, is very beautiful. Although Jefferson assures her everything is fine, Cosway can tell something is different about their relationship. This difference is demonstrated when the pair goes fabric shopping, and Cosway thinks she is choosing a fine silk for one of the girls, when, in truth, the fabric is for Sally. Jefferson tries to explain to Cosway that slaves are like intimate parts of southern families, but his description only further points out to the viewer his growing attachment to the young slave girl. When Cosway returns to the house again, Patsy confides in her that she wishes to take her vows and become a nun and remain in Paris even after Jefferson returns to America. Cosway is confounded why Patsy would not wish to return home and inevitably deduces that Patsy is devastated that her father has begun an affair with Sally. The "unspeakable" dialogue that occurs between these two women makes a powerful statement about opinions on the Jefferson-Hemings relationship. Ivory is using this quiet conversation to portray a nation's sentiment on relationships of this kind. He is also quietly making his own personal statement on what he believed about the relationship and the inability for a daughter to accept someone like Sally.

[13] Cosway comes to realize that although her love for Jefferson remains, for him, the relationship is over. The final stage of Cosway and Jefferson's relationship culminates in one final and powerful scene. Cosway comes to see for herself if the information she intuited from Patsy about Sally and Jefferson's relationship is as serious as she believes. She first meets Sally tending to the garden, and Sally acts superior to the high class white woman when she realizes that Europeans do not know about corn. Sally is protective of Jefferson as a girlfriend or wife might be, and she flirtatiously pushes into him on her way back into the house, almost as if reminding him to behave. This gesture shows Cosway that her relationship with Jefferson is over. After watching Sally and Jefferson flirt in front of her, there is nothing she can do but walk away. Even after Jefferson chases her, the audience is aware that the relationship is damaged beyond repair. Cosway informs Jefferson that she is moving to London and is never coming back. Even after Jefferson assures her that their relationship has not changed, she remains steadfast. In a final gesture, Cosway throws Jefferson's words in his face when she tells him that he was right, she will never understand the relationship between American master and slave. Cosway leaves Paris, and we never hear from her again.

[14] This departure is the most significant discrepancy between the film and the real history. In reality, Jefferson places Cosway in the carriage at the pavillon de St. Denis, a scene perfectly outlined in Jefferson's famous letter to Cosway entitled "Head and Heart." This letter discusses the agony Jefferson felt putting her into that carriage and watching her drive away. He even goes so far as to refer to himself as "more dead than alive." I believe Ivory took this directorial liberty in order to offer some answer as to why a man of Jefferson's stature would chose an immature and childish slave over the delectable Maria Cosway. After tragedy had struck again in the form of the death of his daughter Lucy, Jefferson retracts back into his family. He refers to Sally multiple times as an intimate part of his family, and I think Ivory tries to convey to the audience that Jefferson finds comfort in that shared bond. Since this film only encompasses the time Jefferson spends in Paris, Ivory needed a reason to accurately portray why Jefferson would impregnate his sixteen-year-old slave instead of remaining with Cosway.

[15] The first half of Jefferson in Paris is a beautiful portrayal of an extravagant love between Thomas Jefferson and Maria Cosway. Through its many phases, we are able to understand and relate to each part of their intimate relationship. The audience is able to feel the pain each character feels when they are apart and the immense joy when they are finally allowed to be together. Although the relationship inevitably fizzles, the wonderful cinematography provides an in-depth look at one of the most important facts of the Jefferson-Hemings controversy. The film helps us grasp our feelings about the controversy. Ivory's directorial choices make the audience feel that the relationship with Hemings was inconsequential to Jefferson. Heming's childlike personality and barely educated speech leaves the entire audience wondering why Jefferson even entertained the idea of an intimate relationship with a girl like Hemings.

[16] We see Jefferson's entire romance with Cosway unfold before our eyes and understand the deep connection that laid the foundation for their love. With Hemings, however, one can't help but wonder why Jefferson would look in her direction besides her beauty. This portrayal of Sally Hemings leaves us questioning the very existence of a relationship in real life. As historian Douglass Adair framed the question in 1960, why would Jefferson "turn his back on the delectable Cosway to seduce a markedly immature, semi-educated, teen-age virgin"? Say it ain't so. As Jefferson's grand-daughter Ellen Coolidge memorably phrased it a century before Adair, "there are such things, after all, as moral impossibilities." Ivory portrays Maria Cosway as the love of Jefferson's life, and Hemings is just the inconsequential child with whom Jefferson falls into bed.