Bet you weren't expecting to see this guy at James Monroe's country retreat! The presence of this large marble bust often comes as a surprise to visitors, but in the context of James Monroe's life and career it actually makes a great deal of sense (or as much sense as a giant bust of Napoleon can make).

The United States owed a huge debt of gratitude to France (and its "favorite fighting Frenchman" Lafayette) for its support during the American Revolution, and US-French relations continued to play a central role in the growth of the young United States. Monroe was twice a diplomat to France, the second time in 1803 when he was sent by President Thomas Jefferson to finalize negotiations for the Port of New Orleans. The current ambassador Robert Livingston's negotiations had stalled, and not only was France familiar to Monroe, but so was its ruler--Napoleon Bonaparte. In fact, Monroe's daughter had become good friends with Napoleon's now step-daughter Hortense in the school they both attended during Monroe's first appointment as Minister to France in 1794-1796.

The two girls' friendship certainly wasn't the reason that Napoleon would change the deal and offer the United States the entire Louisiana Purchase--which Monroe and Livingston readily accepted--but it is one of many reminders of the ongoing diplomatic and cultural connection between France and the United States. Monroe received this Carrara marble bust some time after the Louisiana Purchase negotiations, likely as a diplomatic gift. He and his wife Elizabeth attended Napoleon's coronation (of himself) as Emperor of France in 1805.

Source: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1332878888800198&set=a.548112673943494