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Bass Otis, portrait of Stephen Girard, 1831. Rosenbach catalogue number 1954.1906. Courtesy of the Rosenbach Museum & Library, Philadelphia.
The émigré merchant Stephen Girard of Philadelphia (1750 –1831) embodied many of the values associated with the revolutionary American republic he chose to call home.

After haphazardly arriving in Philadelphia in 1776, the Frenchman benefited mightily from the economic opportunities of his volatile era. As he entered maturity, the merchant-banker found meaning through civic leadership and his famous last will and testament, in which he codified his approach to national progress through civic works. Studying Girard’s philosophy of engaged citizenship illuminates the cultural forces at work in the early United States.

Girard also bequeathed to posterity an enormous cache of archival records, a substantial library, a diverse collection of fine and decorative art, as well as an intriguing assemblage of material culture related to the careers of his “Philosopher Ships,” named for his favored authors. This collection creates a rare opportunity to conjure the world inhabited by Girard and his intimates, including his wife Mary Lum Girard, his enslaved woman Hannah, female relations of mixed racial backgrounds, unmarried intimate partners, and business associates. Making use of this remarkable, and underexplored, collection allows Girard’s story to transcend an individual’s life, shedding light on economy, society, civic culture, labor, family relationships, and global politics at a pivotal moment in history.

Portrait of a Citizen is the first modern scholarly study to link the material relics of Girard’s life to the history of his heavily litigated will, culminating in the U.S. Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. By viewing Girard’s life, works, and memory across the centuries, the book poses persistent and pressing questions about civic belonging in the United States.     

"Bass Otis painted Girard with the luster of civic virtue with which early generations imbued him, daubing over the complex and unsavory realities of the early American civic project to turn the merchant into an ideal type: a beneficent patriarch of the republic. Centuries later, we come face to face with a more nuanced portrait, encompassing people from across the centuries who shaped a merchant’s world during his lifetime, and who remolded his legacy long after the painter Bass Otis removed a plaster mask from the corpse of Stephen Girard, mariner, merchant, and citizen of Philadelphia."  

—From the introduction of Portrait of a Citizen

Portrait of a Citizen Image Gallery

The diverse surviving material culture of Stephen Girard's personal life and businesses sits at the heart of the analysis undertaken in Portrait of a Citizen. ​Below is a sample of the remarkable sources pictured and discussed in the book. 

Portrait of a Citizen ​Events & Signings

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Cover of The Will of the Late Stephen Girard, Esq. with a Short Biography of His Life (Philadelphia: Thomas Deliver, 1849). Bound in Henry Simpson (1790 –1868), The Lives of Eminent Philadelphians, Now Deceased … (Philadelphia: William Brotherhead, 1859). The letter opposite the will was sent by Girard to F.D. Petit de Villers in Savannah, Georgia on November 18, 1809. Call no. A 859liv v.5. Rosenbach Museum & Library. Photo by Rasheena Wilson.

​Portrait of a Citizen: Encountering the Francophone World of Stephen Girard and His Circle, in Philadelphia and Beyond
Alliance Française de Philadelphie​ | Friday, March 27, 2026 | 6:00 - 7:00 PM | Free & Open to the Public | Register Here

The famous merchant Stephen Girard left his home near Bordeaux, France at a young age, never again to live in his native country. He eventually became a citizen of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the new United States of America. Yet the businessman’s French language and cultural identity remained important facets of his personality, and elements of his social and intellectual life. In celebration of La Mois de Francophonie 2026, this illustrated talk will explore how Stephen Girard emerged as a committed citizen of the new United States of America while maintaining aspects of French language and cultural identity in early national Philadelphia.

Beyond Girard himself, the talk will showcase other examples of French language, literature, and culture present in the Mid Atlantic region and beyond, including in the libraries and archives of Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours and Thomas Jefferson, which provide salient comparative examples to Girard’s cultural interests. We will also explore how Girard’s upbringing and economic roots in the French imperial Atlantic world of the eighteenth century may have influenced his views of race, labor, enslavement, gender, sexuality, and family relationships.

The talk will be presented in English. Participants will receive reproductions of exemplar historic French-language documents from regional collections to review. 
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J.T. Bowen, lithographer, “The Girard College” (Philadelphia: J.T. Bowen Lithographic & Print Colouring Establishment, 1840), bound in Henry Simpson, The Lives of Eminent Philadelphians, Now Deceased: Collected from Original and Authentic Sources… (Philadelphia: William Brotherhead, 1859), page 416-1. A 859liv v.5. Courtesy of the Rosenbach Museum & Library.

​Book Launch at Girard College
Friday, June 5, 2026 | Free & Open to the Public | Register Here

On the eve of the 250th anniversary of Stephen Girard’s arrival in Philadelphia in 1776, join us at Founder's Hall for a book launch event celebrating the new volume by Dr. Alexander Lawrence Ames, Portrait of a Citizen: Stephen Girard, Mariner, Merchant, Banker, and Philanthropist of the Early American Republic.

Stephen Girard was many things over the span of his long life: sailor, merchant, banker, public health advocate, slaveholder, and ultimately, one of the nation’s first major philanthropists. The businessman’s famous last will and testament assured that his name would live on for generations to come—sometimes with gratitude, sometimes in infamy. Girard’s life story and shifting reputation offer potent lessons for Americans today, on the nature of citizenship and belonging in a republic that can and must continue to be revolutionary. As the United States approaches its 250th birthday, let’s gather together for a conversation about one of the most consequential, if sometimes overlooked, figures in Philadelphia’s fascinating history.

John us as Dr. Ames unpacks his scholarship into this notable Philadelphian’s remarkable life story, enjoy a chance to visit the museum galleries to explore the collection of books, manuscripts, artworks, and artifacts Girard left behind; and take time to consider his complex, contested legacy for his adopted city and nation.
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Portrait of a Citizen will be available for purchase from the De Gruyter Brill publishing house in early 2026: https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/isbn/9783110987171/html. The first 50 guests to arrive at the book launch will receive a complimentary copy of the book! The author will be available to inscribe copies.
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The Rosenbach Museum & Library, Philadelphia. Photo by Ryan Brandenberg.
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Bass Otis, portrait of Stephen Girard, 1831. Rosenbach catalogue number 1954.1906. Courtesy of the Rosenbach Museum & Library, Philadelphia.

​"Portrait of a Citizen: 250 Years of Stephen Girard in Philadelphia" Course at the Rosenbach Museum & Library
Saturday, June 6, 2026 | 2008 Delancey Place, Philadelphia | Reservations Required; Register Here

On June 6, 1776, a young, ambitious French mariner and merchant named Stephen Girard sailed into Philadelphia, and into the eye of the revolutionary storm remaking America and the world, as Great Britain’s 13 North American colonies sought their independence. Though he did not know it at the time, Girard’s fate became closely intertwined with that of the city, where he resided for the rest of his life. Girard earned acclaim during his lifetime and shortly after his death for his civic volunteerism and philanthropy, though over the generations, his reputation has suffered due to debate surrounding his attitudes on race, gender, and enslavement. The Rosenbach owns a portrait of Girard painted shortly after his death by notable local artist Bass Otis, which invites consideration of Girard’s evolving legacy over the centuries.  


On the 250th anniversary of Girard’s arrival in Philadelphia, join the Rosenbach for an afternoon seminar focused on the Bass Otis portrait and the story of Girard’s decision to cast his lot with the young American republic. In this session, we will study the Otis portrait as well as rare books and manuscripts connected to Girard in the Rosenbach collection before tracing Girard’s self-fashioning as the ideal citizen of the early American republic. As the Rosenbach looks forward to the national semi-quincentennial in July, the course will conclude with shared reflections on lessons we can draw from Girard’s life, philanthropy, and approach to engaged citizenship.   


Participants are invited, though not required, to read Portrait of a Citizen prior to the course. The book will be made available at a significant discount when ordered directly from De Gruyter following publication. Check back for details.  


Learn more about the book at https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/isbn/9783110987171/html.   ​