Thomas Jefferson in vivid color

Has anyone else been checking out Maira Kalman's series, "And the Pursuit of Happiness," appearing in the "New York Times" the last Friday of each month? Each illustrated column is about a historic person or place she's visited related to American democracy. She's talked (and created images of) President Obama's inauguration, women and the Supreme Court, the Lincoln archive, and the Pentagon. Her last column was about her visit to Thomas Jefferson's Monticello. The images are bright and whimsical and her commentary about his legacy is both smart and funny (I counted two uses of the expression: "ay caramba!"). She paints an honest and well-rounded picture of the man (yes, I just noticed that pun too...), but still keeps the tone light. And, gosh, aren't these images (and these sentiments) wonderful?

images via nytimes.com