Benjamin Franklin

ca. 1761

Not on view

This portrait of Benjamin Franklin emphasizes his research into electricity, showing him standing next to a chair and table supporting writing materials, with a glass globe near his shoulder. The subject wears a wig and plain coat, holds a book lettered "Electric Expts," turns his head toward the viewer and points to a landscape that centers on a bolt of lightning striking a distant village.

Artwork Details

Title: Benjamin Franklin
Engraver: James McArdell (Irish, Dublin 1729–1765 London)
Artist: After Benjamin Wilson (British, Leeds 1721–1788 London)
Sitter: Benjamin Franklin (American, Boston 1706–1790 Philadelphia)
Date: ca. 1761
Medium: Mezzotint; second state of three
Dimensions: Plate: 13 3/4 × 9 13/16 in. (35 × 25 cm)
Classification: Prints
Credit Line: Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1917
Object Number: 17.3.500
Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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