Portrait of Franklin
The original oil portrait, upon which this engraving of Franklin
was based, was a prized possession of Donatien Le Ray de Chaumont,
Franklin's host while in the Paris suburb of Passay where Franklin
lived from 1777-1785. The print carries an inscription in French
that reads: "Honor of the New World and of Humanity, This lovable
and true sage guides and enlightens them; Like another mentor, he
conceals from the common eye, Under the features of a mortal, a divinity."
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Juste Chevillet (1729-1802) [after a painting by Joseph Duplessis (1725-1802)]
Benjamin Franklin. Né à Boston,
dans la Nouvelle Angleterre, le 17 Janv. 1706
Engraving, 1778
Prints & Photographs Division (1)
LC-DIG-ppmsca-10080
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Benjamin Franklin to Deborah Franklin
(1705?-1774), January 6, 1773
Page 2
Manuscript letter
Enlarged version: Page 1 - Page
2
Manuscript Division (54)
Partial Transcription |
A Letter to His Wife
On the occasion of his birthday, January 6, 1773 (old-style, according
to the Julian calendar) Benjamin Franklin reflects on earlier years
with his wife, Deborah Read Rogers Franklin. Franklin recalls that "It
seems but t'other Day since you and I were rank'd among the Boys
and Girls, so swiftly does Time fly!" But Franklin still looked
forward to "so great a Share of Health and Strength. . . as
to render Life yet comfortable." |
Jefferson Eulogizes Benjamin Franklin
After Benjamin Franklin's death in 1790, Thomas Jefferson, then
Secretary of State, wrote to the Reverend William Smith, who had
been recruited by Franklin to head the new Philadelphia Academy,
recalling that there was "more respect and veneration attached
to the character of Doctor Franklin in France than to that of any
other person in the same country."
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Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) to
William Smith (1727-1803), February 19, 1791
Page 2
Manuscript letter
Enlarged version: Page 1 - Page
2
Manuscript Division (55)
Partial Transcription |
Report of the Committee "to whom
was referrd the consideration of the Legacy left by Doct. B. Franklin
to the Corporation," June 18, 1790
Manuscript document
Manuscript Division (57)
Partial Transcription |
Philadelphia Accepts Legacy from Franklin
Benjamin Franklin, who like George Washington believed that public
officials should work without a salary, stipulated in his will that
his salary as president of the Executive Council of Pennsylvania
should be given to the cities of Boston and Philadelphia. Trusts
were established to manage the funds and to loan money at interest
to apprentices seeking to establish their own business. Two trade
schools, the Franklin Union in Boston and the Franklin Institute
were later established with these funds and in 1990, as devised by
Franklin, the funds, then worth more than seven million dollars,
were distributed to schools and scholarship funds. |
Praise for Franklin from James Madison
James Madison had high praise for Benjamin Franklin's intellect
and personality in his notes for a biographical memorandum on Franklin: "I
never passed half an hour in his company without hearing some observation
or anecdote worth remembering."
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James Madison's (1751-1836) notes
on Benjamin Franklin
Manuscript document, post 1817
Enlarged version
Manuscript Division (58)
Partial Transcription |
William Maclay's diary April 23, 1790
Manuscript diary
Enlarged version
Manuscript Division (59)
Partial Transcription |
The Senate Rejects Efforts to Honor Franklin
After Benjamin Franklin's death on April 17, 1790, the United States
House of Representatives voted to wear black crepe as "a mark
of the veneration due to his memory," but the United States
Senate, as reported by Pennsylvania Senator William Maclay, refused
to wear "crape on their arms for a Month" and did not publicly
acknowledge Franklin's death until 1791. |
Franklin's Epitaph
A young Benjamin Franklin wrote this doggerel verse in 1728 to serve
as his epitaph. Franklin, who loved to write humorous and satirical
verses as well as essays, made copies of this verse for friends at
various times in his life. This version, not in Franklin's hand,
was among the papers owned by Franklin's grandson, William Temple
Franklin.
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Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)
Epitaph, 1728
Manuscript verse
Manuscript Division (61)
Partial Transcription |