Photograph as originally submitted to this page in the Historical Marker Database www.HMdb.org. Click on photo to resize in browser. Scroll down to see metadata.

Photographer: Oil by Joseph Siffred Duplessis
Taken: Circa 1785
Caption: Benjamin Franklin
Additional Description: This c. 1785 portrait of Benjamin Franklin by Joseph Siffred Duplessis hangs in the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC.

“Benjamin Franklin, in his day the most famous American in the world, was renowned for his scientific accomplishments as much as for his political and diplomatic triumphs. Known as a 'natural philosopher,' as scientists were termed in the eighteenth century, Franklin was celebrated for his experiments with electricity, but he also conducted experiments in other areas and invented devices as varied as a stove and bifocal eyeglasses. He also reorganized and expanded the American Philosophical Society in Philadelphia and was often the conduit for correspondence between Americans and Europeans who were studying botany, chemistry, physics, and other sciences. By the mid-1780s, when this portrait was created, Franklin was representing the new republic in France, where he was revered for his wit and scientific knowledge. ” — National Portrait Gallery
Submitted: February 17, 2017, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland.
Database Locator Identification Number: p375323
File Size: 1.181 Megabytes

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