Thomas Jefferson eye color

The exact eye color of Thomas Jefferson remains a subject of historical uncertainty, with varying accounts from people who knew him personally and multiple artistic interpretations in his portraits.

Contemporary Descriptions

Family and Friends' Accounts Edmund Bacon, Jefferson's overseer at Monticello from 1806 to 1822, described them as blue. Francis Calley Gray, who visited Monticello in 1814, noted them as "light gray". Jefferson's great-granddaughter Sarah Randolph and biographer Dumas Malone both described his eyes as hazel, according to Monticello's research archives.

Physical Characteristics Daniel Webster, who visited Jefferson in 1824, provided a detailed description, noting that "his eyes are small, very light, and now neither brilliant nor striking," as documented in Monticello's physical descriptions. His eyes were particularly expressive, described by biographer Henry Randall as "full, deep set eyes" that "mirrored, as the clear lake mirrors the cloud, every emotion which was passing through his mind."

Artistic Representations

The confusion about Jefferson's eye color is further complicated by his various portraits, which show his eyes in different colors:

• Some portraits depict them as blue
• Others show them as hazel
• Some even portray them as brown

Expert Analysis

Researchers at Monticello, Jefferson's historic home, have concluded that there is no definitive consensus on his eye color. The descriptions from various sources range from blue to gray to "light" to hazel, and various combinations of these colors, as discussed in "Is This Jefferson?". This variation in accounts suggests that Jefferson's eyes may have had a complex coloration that appeared different under various lighting conditions or changed slightly with age.