The legacy of slavery continues to trouble our nation.

Many institutions have struggled to find an appropriate response to historical wrongs.

(This is not a political position – political and religious posturing is prohibited in the group.)

Monticello, the magnificent home designed by Thomas Jefferson (and containing numerous ingenious and curious inventions of this brilliant man), has been a flashpoint of controversy.

This postcard, copyrighted in 1928 and published by the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation, is an illustration of the struggle.

The hand-colored photograph shows the neat row of “Servants Quarters” at the estate.

But Jefferson did not employ any servants; the domestic and grounds-keeping labor was performed by slaves.

Today, visitors to Monticello are confronted with a more realistic description of the human bondage that made the Southern plantation successful.

The “Servants Quarters” are named “Slave Quarters”, and the rooms are finished and furnished in a way that is more accurate historically.

And, many of the “servants”, including the children of Jefferson, are named and described.

History is complicated, and any serious study should lead us to recognize how lofty principles and selfish interests combine in all of us.

The postcard was printed in Brooklyn, NY and not mailed.

One may assume that it was collected by a visitor to Monticello about 1930.