Object Details
- Artist
- Joseph Siffred Duplessis, 22 Sep 1725 - 1 Apr 1802
- Sitter
- Benjamin Franklin, 17 Jan 1706 - 17 Apr 1790
- Exhibition Label
- Born Boston, Massachusetts
- During his time, Benjamin Franklin was the most famous American in the world. He remains highly visible today as the face on the $100 bill; this portrait was selected as the basis for that engraving in 1995.
- Franklin represented colonial interests in England from 1757 to 1775. Upon his return, he was unanimously elected to represent Pennsylvania at the Second Continental Congress. Behind him was a lifetime of achievement as a printer, an unsurpassed author of wit and wisdom, an inventor, and a scientist. Ahead were his roles as a signer of the Declaration of Independence and a member of the Constitutional Convention. In between was his triumph as a diplomat in France (1776–85), where this portrait was commissioned by Madame Brillon de Jouy. In a letter, she praised Franklin for his sound moral teaching and lively imagination but found his “droll roguishness” most endearing.
- Nacido en Boston, Massachusetts
- En su época, Benjamin Franklin fue el estadounidense más famoso del mundo. Hoy todavía está muy presente con su imagen en los billetes de $100, y fue este retrato el que se usó como base para ese grabado en 1995.
- Franklin representó los intereses de la colonia en Inglaterra entre 1757 y 1775. A su regreso fue elegido unánimemente para representar a Pensilvania en el Segundo Congreso Continental. Tenía tras de sí una vida de logros como impresor, autor de ingenio y sabiduría sin par, inventor y científico. Más tarde sería uno de los firmantes de la Declaración de Independencia y miembro de la Convención Constitucional. Mientras tanto, triunfó como diplomático en Francia (1776–85), donde Madame Brillon de Jouy encargó este retrato. En una carta, ella elogió a Franklin por sus sensatos consejos morales y su viva imaginación, si bien por otro lado habla encantada de su “graciosa picardía”.
- Provenance
- Sitter; gift to Anne Louise Boyvin d'Hardancourt, Mme. Brillon de Jouy [1744-1824]. Her descendant Gilles de Carpentier, Toulouse; sold through (Meredith Frapier, Paris) to NPG 1987
- Credit Line
- National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation
- c. 1785
- Object number
- NPG.87.43
- Restrictions & Rights
- CC0
- Type
- Painting
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- Stretcher: 72.4 x 59.7 x 3.8cm (28 1/2 x 23 1/2 x 1 1/2")
- Frame: 92.7 x 80 x 8.3cm (36 1/2 x 31 1/2 x 3 1/4")
- Place
- France\Île-de-France\Ville de Paris, Départment de\Paris
- See more items in
- National Portrait Gallery Collection
- Exhibition
- Out of Many: Portraits from 1600 to 1900
- On View
- NPG, East Gallery 140
- National Portrait Gallery
- Topic
- Home Furnishings\Furniture\Seating\Chair
- Benjamin Franklin: Male
- Benjamin Franklin: Arts and Culture\Literature\Writer
- Benjamin Franklin: Politics and Government\Statesman\Colonial statesman
- Benjamin Franklin: Politics and Government\Government official\Congressman\Continental congressman
- Benjamin Franklin: Politics and Government\Statesman\Colonial statesman\Signer of Declaration
- Benjamin Franklin: Science and Technology\Scientist
- Benjamin Franklin: Politics and Government\Diplomat
- Benjamin Franklin: Social Welfare and Reform\Philanthropist
- Benjamin Franklin: Science and Technology\Inventor
- Benjamin Franklin: Business and Finance\Tradesman\Printer
- Benjamin Franklin: Politics and Government\Government official\Postmaster
- Portrait
- Record ID
- npg_NPG.87.43
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm4d9394e57-5d44-41de-917a-23f027962a1e
