According to legend, Thomas Jefferson was walking along a street in Paris, when he spied the famous painter Maria Cosway. He leapt over a fence to get close to her—and fell and broke his wrist. How did this girl, born to English parents in Florence, Italy, become an artistic luminary in the innermost circles of London society—and so ensnare the heart of Thomas Jefferson? Maria (rhymes with Messiah) Cosway is about to make her public debut for Colonial Williamsburg in New Orleans for the 95th Annual Conference of the National Council for the Social Studies. Portrayed by… me….