BGuthrie Photos: DC -- Natl Archives -- Exhibit: Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World

DC -- Natl Archives -- Exhibit: Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World:

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Description of Pictures: “Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World” opens February 10, 2012
Founding father, scientist, diplomat, humorist, philanthropist, entrepreneur, rebellious teen—Benjamin Franklin is one of the most remarkable and influential Americans. Learn more about the many sides of Benjamin Franklin and discover his impact on your world in this electrifying new exhibit organized by the Minnesota Historical Society. Lawrence F. O’Brien Gallery
“Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World” is made possible in part by the Foundation for the National Archives with generous support from the General Motors Foundation.

Same Event: Wait! There's more! Because I took too many pictures, photos from this event were divided among the following pages: [Display ALL photos on one page]:

2012_DC_Archives_BF: DC -- Natl Archives -- Exhibit: Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World (118 photos from 2012)
2012_DC_FNA_120209: Foundation for the Natl Archives -- Member reception for Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World exhibit (31 photos from 2012)
2012_DC_Franklin_Meet_120210: Natl Archives -- Meet Benjamin Franklin and Franklin’s Glass Armonica (17 photos from 2012)
2012_DC_Archives_BF_PP_120207: Natl Archives -- Press Preview: Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World (Presentation) (37 photos from 2012)
2012_DC_Archives_BF_PT_120207: Natl Archives -- Press Preview: Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World (Tour) (23 photos from 2012)

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Copyrights: All pictures were taken by amateur photographer Bruce Guthrie (me!) who retains copyright on them. Free for non-commercial use with attribution. See the [Creative Commons] definition of what this means. "Photos (c) Bruce Guthrie" is fine for attribution. (Commercial use folks including AI scrapers can of course contact me.) Feel free to use in publications and pages with attribution but you don't have permission to sell the photos themselves. A free copy of any printed publication using any photographs is requested. Descriptive text, if any, is from a mixture of sources, quite frequently from signs at the location or from official web sites; copyrights, if any, are retained by their original owners.

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Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
1. BF_120207_027.JPG: Thunder and Lightning: Franklin's best known scientific insight was that thunderclouds are electrified and that lightning is, in fact, a large electric spark. To test this hypothesis, during a thunderstorm Franklin flew a kite with a pointed wire attached. When a cloud approached, the wire attracted electricity. The charge was conducted through the kite's twine, and from an attached metal key Franklin drew sparks and charged a Leyden jar. Previous studies of the "power of points" led Franklin to suggest that grounded iron rods might protect houses from lightning damage. "Would not these pointed rods," Franklin asked, "probably draw the Electrical Fire silently out of a Cloud before it came nigh to strike, and thereby secure us from that most sudden and terrible Mischief?"
2. BF_120207_029.JPG: "Indeed, in the construction of an instrument [lightning rod] so new, and of which we could have so little experience, it is rather lucky that we should at first be so near the truth as we seem to be, and commit so few errors." -- Benjamin Franklin, Autobiography Ungrounded vs. Grounded: Franklin's experiments demonstrated the importance of grounding a lightning rod. Grounded rods were, in Franklin's words, "protective" devices. Ungrounded rods, on the other hand, were used for studying the characteristics of thunderstorm electricity, in all of its brute and fiery power. Thunder House: Late 18th century Thunder houses vividly demonstrated the protective effects of grounded rods and were used by Ebenezer Kinnersley in his sensational but educational lectures. A model building was filled with gunpowder and equipped with a lightning rod that could be grounded or ungrounded. Applying a spark to the grounded rod, the charge would pass through the house without harm. But a spark applied to the ungrounded rod would ignite the gunpowder, blow the roof off the house, and flatted the four walls in a fiery explosion.
3. BF_120207_049.JPG: Benjamin Franklin, Slavery and Race "Slavery is such an atrocious debasement of human nature." -- Benjamin Franklin, An Address to the Public, from the Pennsylvania Society for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery, 1789 Franklin's attitudes about slavery and race evolved over the course of his life. The changes in his thinking can be glimpsed in his family life, his printing career and in his political and civic activities. Franklin was a slaveholder for much of his adult life. Until the 1750s, he, like many, assumed that enslaved Africans were morally and intellectually inferior to whites. This assumption changed for Franklin when he helped set up schools designed to educate slave children. Observing one of the classes, Franklin concluded that the capacity for learning and morality among black children was equal to that of white children. His wife, Deborah, was also supportive of this project and was moved at the progress that the pupils made. Still, Franklin did not free his slaves. The enslaved Africans who are mentioned in Franklin's correspondence over the course of thirty years include Peter, Jemima, King and George. In a 1757 will, he declared "that my Negro Man Peter, and his Wife Jemima, be free after my Decease," but Franklin long outlived them. By the time he wrote his final will, Franklin's discomfort with slavery had become more pronounced: in that will, Franklin stipulated that his son-in-law free his slave as a condition of inheritance. Early in his printing career, Franklin printed several anti-slavery tracts for their Quaker authors, but conscious of his reputation and the need to build his business he did not affix his name to these publications.
4. BF_120207_053.JPG: As Franklin began to circulate on the world stage, first as an agent representing colonies in England, then as a leader in the American Revolution and finally as a diplomat, he came increasingly into contact with anti-slavery sentiment and his changing views on slavery reflected this. Many of the Enlightenment figures with whom he worked and socialized during his sixteen years in England held anti-slavery views. And when the American colonies declared that "all men are created equal," the irony was not lost on Franklin. He came to believe that slavery was inconsistent with American demands of liberty. Franklins' transformation into an anti-slavery advocate culmiinated in 1787, when he became the first president of the Pennsylvania Society for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery. Franklin waited until after the US Constitution was ratified before presenting a formal abolition petition to Congress, but this effort, only weeks before his death in 1790, was roundly criticized by Southerners in Congress, who fought to have the petition suppressed. "I received the Letter... with your valuable Present of Cameo's, which I am distributing among my Friends ... I am persuaded it may have an Effect equal to that of the best written Pamphlet, in procuring Favour to those oppressed people." -- Benjamin Franklin, to Josiah Wedgwood, 1788
5. BF_120207_057.JPG: Chess set (French), 1750-1780 Owned by Benjamin Franklin, descended in the family of Deborah Bache Duane
6. BF_120207_062.JPG: "Franklin-type" split bifocal spectacles (probably English), ca 1760 Of the type worn by Benjamin Franklin Ingenious Dr. Franklin: When Franklin saw an unmet need, he often created or adapted a device to satisfy it. Visitors to Franklin's house recorded the useful "curiosities" they saw there, such as the chair/stepstool, table/firescreen, "long arm" pole (to reach books), and, as Franklin's friend Manassah Cutler observed, "his great armed chair, with rocker and a large fan placed over it, with which he fans himself... with only a small motion of his foot." Franklin is credited with inventing bifocals, or "double spectacles," as he called them. "I therefore had formerly two Pair of Spectacles, which I shifted occasionally... I had the Glasses cut, and half of each kind associated in the same Circle... I have only to move my Eyes up or down, as I want to see distinctly far or near." -- Letter from Benjamin Franklin to George Whatley, 1785
7. BF_120207_069.JPG: At Home In Philadelphia: "A house without women & Fire-light, is like a body without soul or sprite." -- Poor Richard's Almanack, 1733 Franklin and his common-law wife, Deborah, lived simply and frugally. Only after Franklin had established himself with a dependable income did they buy more extravagant possessions, often from Europe. Many of these objects are still owned by Franklin's descendants. Franklin and Deborah's relationship was affectionate and loyal, if not particularly romantic. Deborah was involved in all aspects of the daily business, keeping the shop and its accounts. She raised William, Francis, and Sally in a crowded house typical of 18th-century artisans, sharing their space with Deborah's mother and the family servants and slaves. Though William was Franklin's illegitimate son, Deborah brought him up as part of the family. Francis, their first child together, contracted smallpox as a toddler and died, which caused his parents deep and lasting grief. Their youngest daughter, Sally, was only 14 when Franklin was dispatched to London by the Pennsylvania Assembly, but she adored him and looked after him when he returned to Philadelphia as an old man. She would ultimately bear all but one of the Franklin's eight grandchildren.
8. BF_120207_081.JPG: Snuffbox with portrait of Benjamin Franklin Francois Dumont (French), 1779 Franklin gave a snuffbox like this one to his young friend Georgiana Shipley as a token of his affection. The portrait on its cover was one of Franklin's favorites; he later lent it to be copied by other artists who wanted him to set for portraits.
9. BF_120207_088.JPG: On Electricity: "[Franklin's Experiments and Observations in Electricity will] be handed down to posterity as expressive of the true principles of electricity; just as the Newtonian philosophy is of the true system of nature in general." -- Joseph Priestley, The History and Present State of Electricity, 1755 Franklin rose rapidly to prominence in the scientific world with the London publication of his Experiments and Observations on Electricity in 1751, with supplements in 1753 and 1754. Included in this collection of letters was Franklin's innovative single-fluid theory of electricity, as well as details of his proposed experiment to test the hypothesis that lightning was electrical. One of the most widely reprinted books of the Enlightenment, Experiments and Observations kick-started the electrical sciences and won Franklin both friends and detractors.
10. BF_120207_091.JPG: Benjamin Franklin In Search of a Better World Scientist, inventor, diplomat, humorist, philanthropist, and entrepreneur: Benjamin Franklin is one of the most remarkable and influential Americans of any generation. In this exhibition, created in honor of Franklin's 300th birthday, we invite you to experience the adventures of an extraordinary man. You will meet Franklin in Boston, as a rebellious, ambitious teenager, and then travel with him to Philadelphia , London, and Paris. As you recreate Franklin's scientific experiments and civic initiatives, you'll have the change to see the world through his ever-curious eyes. Finally, face to face with examples of America's founding documents, which Franklin signed, you can practice your own skills at negotiation and compromise. Surrounded by Franklin's own possessions -- many of which have been handed down in his family and never before seen in public -- you'll be immersed in his world. As you are introduced to many facets of Franklin that you never knew, you will also discover his impact on your own world. "Dost thou love Life? then do not squander Time; for that's the Stuff Life is made of." -- Poor Richard's Almanack, 1746
11. BF_120207_098.JPG: Character Matters: 1706-1723: Born into a large family of Boston tradesmen, Benjamin Franklin learned early that hard work, thrift, integrity, and self-discipline were important personal virtues. Though Franklin attended school for only two years, he turned to books for reference, self-education, and delight. He was well-read in the religious and moral teachings of Boston's Puritan leadership, and he modeled his own writing on famous philosophers and essayists. At 12, Benjamin was apprenticed to his older brother James, a printer. Franklin learned the trade easily and well, but ambition got the better of him. Brilliant and independent, he ran away from Boston when he was only 17. Franklin traveled first to New York but, finding no work, continued on to Philadelphia. "Being ignorant is not so much a Shame, as being unwilling to learn." -- Poor Richard's Almanack, 1755
12. BF_120207_103.JPG: Franklin bought this imposing folio (of church lectern size) in England, and gave it as a present to his daughter Sarah before her marriage to Richard Bache. The title page bears her name in Franklin's handwriting. John Baskerville's books are prized examples of British typography and printing: the letterforms he designed continue to inspire typefaces today. Franklin admired Baskerville's work and the two compared notes on printing when they met at Baskerville's home, Easy Hill.
13. BF_120207_111.JPG: Franklin's Boyhood Home: Benjamin Franklin was born January 17, 1706, to Josiah and Abiah Franklin. He was the ninth of eleven children, and the youngest son. The family lived in a small wooden house on Milk Street, across from the "Old South" Meeting House. Measuring just 20 ft. square, the home also served as the chandlery (candle-making) shop of Josiah Franklin. His shop sign, in the shape of a blue ball, hung outside until the Franklin family moved to a larger dwelling on the corner of Hanover and Union Streets, and Josiah opened a separate shop a block away from the Milk Street house.
14. BF_120207_119.JPG: Sign of the Blue Ball American, ca 1698 Painted wood, tin, and iron
15. BF_120207_122.JPG: The Whistle: Franklin loved to tell stories, frequently using his youthful adventures to make a moral point. In The Whistle, young Benjamin's delight with his new toy turns to dismay once he learned that he paid too much for it. As he grew older, Franklin used this childhood lesson to question the inflated value people often place on status, wealth, and possessions.
16. BF_120207_123.JPG: Hello, dear friends! When I was a little critter, I was rescued from the thorny underbrush by my new best friend, Benjamin Franklin. Oh, what did he see in so lowly a creature as me? I was just a tiny squirrel with no prospects! "But Skuggs," Franklin said to me, "even the smallest of creatures can do great things. Greatness is all around you. Step out into the world and you will find it." And so Ben invited me to join him on an extraordinary journey. We have curious minds and sturdy shoes, but we need some traveling companions. Won't you share our adventures? Come along, dear friends -- off we go!
17. BF_120207_130.JPG: A Voracious Reader: Franklin was an enthusiastic reader even as a small boy: "From a Child I was fond of Reading, and all the little Money that came into my Hands was ever laid out in Books." Franklin also enjoyed borrowing books, which he "was careful to return soon & clean." He read John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, Plutarch's Lives, the philosophical works of John Locke, and Anthony Collins's A Philosophical Inquiry Regarding Human Liberty, all of which informed his thinking for years to come. "Often I sat up in my Room reading the greatest Part of the Night, when the Book was borrow'd in the Evening & to be return'd early in the Morning." -- Benjamin Franklin, Autobiography
18. BF_120207_136.JPG: Franklin & Skuggs: Franklin was a warmhearted man who delighted in the company of friends. He found them in all sorts of places -- even on the forest floor! Franklin was especially fond of small, furry creatures like squirrels, or skuggs as they were called in his day. He once sent a "fine large grey Squirrel" all the way from Philadelphia to London as a gift for his friends Georgiana Shipley. Alas, the first skugg escaped from his cage and was devoured by a dog. Franklin, feeling sad for Georgiana's loss, asked his wife Deborah to send Georgiana a second skugg. In a letter of thanks, Georgiana reported that her new friend grew "fat and lively" and enjoyed "as much liberty as even a North American can desire."
19. BF_120207_139.JPG: Job Printing: In 1730, Franklin opened a printing shop where he printed "jobs" -- books and pamphlets published at the request and expense of others, usually organizations and individual authors. By 1748, when Franklin retired from business, he had printed numerous pamphlets and broadsides, and 432 books of which 241 were financed by others.
20. BF_120207_146.JPG: Pennsylvania colonial currency, 20 shillings 1764 Concerns about inflation and counterfeiting made paper money a controversial issue in Franklin's time. In 1729, Franklin anonymously printed A Modest Enquiry into the Nature and Necessity of a Paper-Currency to promote the idea that paper money was beneficial to the economy and a secure means of exchange. Inspired by his friend Joseph Breintnall's nature prints and the realization that every leaf if unique, Franklin began using leaf prints on Pennsylvania currency in 1739.
21. BF_120207_159.JPG: Cicero, translated by James Logan M.T. Cicero's Cato Major Philadelphia: Printed and sold by B. Franklin, 1744 Collections of The Bakken Library and Museum Franklin printed this book at his own expense to flatter James Logan, William Penn's secretary and one of Pennsylvania's most powerful and learned men. Cato Major is considered to be the finest example of Franklin's printing.
22. BF_120207_162.JPG: The General Magazine, and Historical Chronicle, For all the British Plantations in America Philadelphia: Printed and sold by B. Franklin, 1741 Library Company of Philadelphia Franklin's The General Magazine was the second magazine published in the colonies, preceded by his rival Andrew Bradford's The American Magazine.
23. BF_120207_164.JPG: B. Franklin, Printer 1723-1748 Arriving in Philadelphia in 1723, Franklin worked to establish himself as a printer. Over the next 25 years, he expanded his network of personal friends and business connections both in the colonies and in England. In printing, Franklin found a way to "do well by doing good." Not only did he accumulate enough wealth to retire from active business at the age of 42, he was also able to use his publications to communicate his ideas. Although Franklin spent the second half of his life as a gentleman of leisure, he remained proud of his roots as a tradesman. Of course, for Franklin, "leisure" meant the freedom to pursue his many other interests, a freedom bought by years of devotion the craft of printing. Perhaps this is why, of all his many accomplishments, he most wished to be remembered as "B. Franklin, Printer." "He that hath a Trade, hath an Estate." -- Poor Richard's Almanack, 1742
24. BF_120207_167.JPG: Poor Richard, 1739 When Poor Richard's Almanack was first published in 1733, it was an instant bestseller. Franklin, writing as the humble and henpecked Poor Richard, skillfully combined useful information -- astronomical and meteorological predictions -- with entertainment, in the form of proverbs, humor and poetry.
25. BF_120207_173.JPG: The Pennsylvania Gazette, No 935, November 13, 1746 Owned, edited, and printed by Franklin from 1729 to 1748, the Gazette was known for its humor, originality, and strong influence on public opinion.
26. BF_120207_178.JPG: The Public Sphere: For Franklin, the printing trade provided more than just an income. He used his press to disseminate his views on almost every topic, from the need for paper money, to witty observations in every Poor Richard's Almanack, to promoting colonial unity. Franklin's humble beginnings and minimal formal education left him uncomfortable as a public speaker, but his trade enabled him to express himself in the most public of ways: through the printed word. Printing was, for Franklin, a way to wealth and a way into the public eye. "Leaving the Business [of printing], I have brought up my Grandson Benjamin to it, and have built and furnish'd a Printing-house for him, which he now manages under my Eye." -- Letter from Benjamin Franklin to Catharine Ray Greene, 1789
27. BF_120207_179.JPG: Composing stick (owned by Franklin): The composing stick is an essential tool for setting type by hand. The printer adjusts the stick to the width of the lines of type to be set, and then puts the metal type in upside down, letter-by-letter and line-by-line. As several lines of type are completed, they are transferred into a gallery and held until the page of type is complete.
28. BF_120207_183.JPG: The Printing Trade: The craft of printing demanded the mental dexterity and coordination to compose type, combined with hard physical labor. Printers would work up a sweat pulling the press, ink beating, or carrying heavy cases of lead type. Added to that were the distinctive smells of wet paper, printer's ink, and urine, which was used to soften the ink balls. Despite the physical labor involved, printing was a time-honored craft that often attracted literate, ambitious young men. Most received their training as apprentices, working for master printers from about age 12 until they turned 21. As journeymen, they were then free to work for wages or establish their own printing offices, if they had financial backing.
29. BF_120207_191.JPG: Civic Visions 1731-1751 Even as a young tradesman, Franklin sought to better himself and his community. He organized the Junto -- a small group of fellow tradesmen and artisans committed to mutual improvement. At their weekly meetings, they asked how they "may be serviceable to mankind? to their country, to their friends, or to themselves?" The Junto's actions formed their answer. Franklin and his colleagues helped establish a lending library, firefighting brigade, university, learned society, militia, hospital, and insurance company. Franklin's lifelong efforts to improve himself and the world around him stemmed from the same ambition and intellectual energy he demonstrated as a printer and young boy. His commitment to public service also built on his sociable nature: Franklin was a true philanthropist. He believed that society's many challenges required mutual action, collaboration, and generosity. This, for Franklin, defined citizenship, in the colonies and in the young republic. "The Good particular Men may do separately... is small, compared with what they may do collectively." -- Benjamin Franklin, "Appeal for the Hospital," 1751
30. BF_120207_199.JPG: The Library Company of Philadelphia, 1731 Junto members read to education themselves. Most books available to the colonies were imported and expensive, so the group pooled their resources to form the Library Company of Philadelphia. Members' subscription fees paid for new acquisitions. For a cash deposit, non-members could also use the library and check out books. The Library Company, the oldest public library in America, now thrives as a research library specializing in early American history and culture. "By thus clubbing our Books to a common Library, we should... have each of us the Advantage of using the Books of all the other Members, which would be nearly as beneficial as if each owned the whole." -- Benjamin Franklin, Autobiography
31. BF_120207_201.JPG: Union Fire Company, 1736, and Contributionship (Insurance Company), 1751 Franklin used his newspaper to argue that Philadelphia should organize and train teams of firemen. In 1736, Franklin and 19 of his neighbors founded the Union Fire Company. Collectively they purchased and maintained an egine and hooks and ladders; individually they supplied leather buckets for conveying water to the fire and bags to carry household goods to safety. They expanded this idea of mutal aid in 1751 into the Philadelphia Contributionship, America's first property insurance company. The Contributionship pushed for safer building standards, insured member households from fire, and even underwrote mortgages. "A Club or Society of active Men belonging to each Fire Engine ... Some of these are to handle the Firehooks, and others the Axes... In Time of Fire, they are commanded by Officers appointed by Law, called Firewards, who are distinguish'd by a Red Staff of five Feet long, headed with a Brass Flame of 6 Inches... They direct the opening and stripping of Roofs by the Ax-Men, the pulling down burning Timbers by the Hook-men." -- Benjamin Franklin, "On Protection of Towns from Fire" in The Philadelphia Gazette, February 4, 1734/5 "Whenever a FIRE breaks out in any Part of the City, though none of our Houses, Goods, or Effects may be in apparent Danger, we will nevertheless, repair thither with our Buckets and Bags... and give our utmost Assistance to such of our Fellow-Citizens as may stand in Need of it, in the same Manner as if they belonged to this Company." -- "Articles of the Union Fire Company of Philadelphia", 1794
32. BF_120207_205.JPG: Association for Defense of Pennsylvania, 1747 In the first half of the 18th century, tensions between settlers and Native Americans were on the rise, and European powers had territorial ambitions of their own. Realizing that Pennsylvania's Quaker-dominated legislature valued peace above self-defense. Franklin used his press to make a characteristic proposal: that his fellow citizens join together to protect themselves. In 1747 he co-signed a document that established a voluntary militia to protect Pennsylvania against the French, the Native Americans, and the Spanish ship then conducting raids along the Delaware River. "Our militia ... are sufficient to defend our lands from invasion ... We, therefore, have not the occasion you imagine, of fleets or standing armies, but may leave those expensive machines to e maintained for the pomp of princes, and the wealth of ancient states." -- Letter from Benjamin Franklin to Charles de Weissenstein, 1778
33. BF_120207_211.JPG: The Philadelphia Academy, 1740 Franklin's self-education and religious tolerance made him challenge the dominant classical and theological approach to learning. Soon after his retirement, he helped found the Philadelphia Academy, which later became the University of Pennsylvania, America's first university and its oldest nonsectarian college. Unlike Harvard and Yale, the school was not created to train new ministers. Rather, with a progressive curriculum based in the liberal arts, the University of Pennsylvania sought to develop a vigorous, public-spirited curiosity in each of its students. "The good Education of Youth has been esteemed by wise Men in all Ages, as the surest Foundation of the Happiness both of private Families and of Common-wealths." -- Benjamin Franklin, Proposals Relating to the Education of Youth in Pensilvania [sic], 1749
34. BF_120207_215.JPG: American Philosophical Society: A Society of "Ingenious Men," 1743 Franklin's Junto had already demonstrated how much friends committed to one another's mutual improvement could accomplish. In 1743, Franklin drew up a proposal to create an intercolonial Junto: a network of scientists and philosophers who would share news of their discoveries by post. The American Philosophical Society was modeled after London's Royal Society and Dublin's Philosophical Society, and its founding members included botanist John Bartram and lawyer-scientist Thomas Hopkinson. The Society provided a forum for exchanging ideas and pooling skills and knowledge, and its members particularly strove to promote American science and invention. "One Society be formed of Virtuosi or ingenious Men residing in the several Colonies, to be called The American Philosophical Society; who are to maintain a constant Correspondence. -- Benjamin Franklin, A Proposal for Promoting Useful Knowledge, 1743
35. BF_120207_218.JPG: Membership certificate for David Rittenhouse, from the American Philosophical Society Signed by Benjamin Franklin, 1766
36. BF_120207_225.JPG: Mastodon tooth fossil Found near the underground ruins of Franklin's home on Market Street, this tooth matches the description of a "large pronged" tooth sent to Franklin in London in 1767 by Indian agent and land speculator George Croghan. Thought to derive from ancient elephant-like creatures, the fossils were discovered near the Ohio River at a place called "The Great Licking Place," now known as Big Bone Lick, Kentucky. "I should also be glad of the Piece of Elephant's Tooth. It is old Ivory, perhaps of the Time before the Flood, & would be a Rarity to some Friends here." -- Letter from Benjamin Franklin to Margaret Stevenson, 1779
37. BF_120207_229.JPG: Pennsylvania Hospital, 1751 In 1751, Franklin's friend Dr. Thomas Bond tried to raise funds for a public hospital in Philadelphia. However, wrote Franklin, "the Proposal being a Novelty in America... he met with small Success." To help, Franklin came up with the idea of a matching grant, persuading the Pennsylvania legislature to promise 2,000 pounds if the same amount could be raised from private donors. The prospect of a match proved a powerful incentive to give generously: the Pennsylvania Hospital, America's first, still stands today. "A convenient and handsome Building was soon erected, the Institution has by constant Experience been found useful, and flourishes to this Day." -- Benjamin Franklin, Autobiography
38. BF_120207_233.JPG: A Gentleman's Laboratory: In an era when scientists were almost always wealthy male amateurs, scientific breakthroughs occurred -- frequently by chance -- in home laboratories. Enthusiastic natural philosophers, including Franklin, would often demonstrate electrical experiments on their newly purchased equipment as entertaining party tricks. The laboratory equipment itself varied widely. Glass tubes, for instance, were rubbed with wool or fur to produce an electrical charge. The lightning bells, Franklin's own invention, were connected to an isolated rod atop a building; they would ring whenever an electrified cloud or lightning was nearby. The Leyden jar was the world's first capacitor, or battery. With metallic conductors mounted inside and outside a glass jar (the insulator), a Leyden jar could store and transport the electric charge that was generated by the electrical apparatus. Laboratories might also contain thermometers, pneumatic air pumps, magnets, and experimental clocks, all depending on the interests and resources of the natural philosopher.
39. BF_120207_243.JPG: A China Bowl with a Spoon of Silver Early in their married life, the Franklins lived frugally, but gradually they acquired fine furnishings and clothing. In his Autobiography, Franklin described one of the first of his fashionable household acquisitions––a china bowl and a spoon of silver. They are reunited in this exhibition for the first time in more than 100 years.
40. BF_120207_249.JPG: The Way To Wealth Within just a few years of arriving in Philadelphia, Franklin established his own shop, printing jobs for many customers and publishing his newspaper, The Pennsylvania Gazette, and his Poor Richard's Almanack. In addition, Franklin and his wife, Deborah, sold stationery and dry goods from a store in front of the printing office. Franklin was honest and hard-working, and his growing reputation soon attracted customers away from rival printers. To expand, Franklin set up several of his former apprentices with printing equipment and capital, enabling them to start their own businesses elsewhere in the colonies. He also maintained close ties with bookbinders, who helped to distribute his publications. Franklin even invested in several paper mills and extended his reach into the German-speaking backcountry of Pennsylvania by financing a German-language printing office. When Franklin became deputy postmaster, he improved his distribution system by arranging for several of his friends and family to be named local postmasters. Franklin was soon at the center of a dynamic and sophisticated intercolonial communications network. "In order to secure my Credit and Character as a Tradesmen, I took care not only to be in Reality Industrious & frugal, but to avoid all Appearances of the Contrary." -- Benjamin Franklin, Autobiography
41. BF_120207_253.JPG: Ledger of the General Post Office of the United States of America, 1776 Benjamin Franklin had received a royal appointment as postmaster of Philadelphia in 1737. In 1753, the Crown appointed him as joint postmaster for the thirteen colonies. He served as Postmaster General of the Continental Congress from 1775 to 1776. The ledger shown here lists Post Office expenses on the left; moneys received are on the right.
42. BF_120207_259.JPG: Letter from Benjamin Franklin to Francis Child, February 8, 1785 Franklin expanded his already successful printing business by forming partnerships with "young printers of good character." On February 8, 1785, Franklin wrote to Francis Child about forming such a business venture. Franklin would provide the necessary printing type and -- if this agreement proved to be similar to earlier ones Franklin negotiated -- receive a portion of Child's profits. Through such agreements and other profitable ventures, Franklin became one of the wealthiest men in the country.
43. BF_120207_266.JPG: Glass armonica, 1760-1780 According to family tradition, this armonica was owned by Mme Brillon de Jouy, a friend and neighbor of Benjamin Franklin in Passy, France. "The advantages of this instrument are, that its tones are incomparably sweet beyond those of any other; that they may be swelled and softened at pleasure by stronger and weaker pressures of the finger, and continued to any length; and that the instrument, being once well tunes, never again wants tuning." -- Letter from Benjamin Franklin to Giambatista Beccaria, 1762 A Love of Music: Franklin played the violin, harp, and guitar, wrote and sang songs with friends, and also invented "one of the most celebrated instruments of the 18th century" -- the glass armonica. The concept is based on the sound produced by running a wet finger around the rim of a glass; Franklin's innovation was to mount a range of glass bowls on a rod, turned by a foot pedal or a hand wheel. Friends and acquaintances were entertained with the new instrument, which won praise for its "angelic strains." By Franklin's death in 1790, about 5,000 glass armonicas had been made in Europe. Mozard and Beethoven were inspired to compose works for the instrument, although Franklin preferred simple Scottish airs.
44. BF_120207_278.JPG: Static electricity tube, c 1747
45. BF_120207_293.JPG: Ebenezer Kinnersley A Course of Experiments
46. BF_120207_297.JPG: On Electricity: Franklin rose rapidly to prominence in the scientific world with the London publication of his Experiments and Observations on Electricity in 1751, with supplements in 1753 and 1754. Included in this collection of letters was Franklin's innovative single-fluid theory of electricity, as well as details of his proposed experiment to test the hypothesis that lightning was electrical. One of the most widely reprinted books of the Enlightenment, Experiments and Observations kick-started the electrical sciences and won Franklin both friends and detractors. "[Franklin's Experiments and Observations in Electricity will] be handed down to posterity as expressive of the true principles of electricity; just as the Newtonian philosophy is of the true system of nature in general." -- Joseph Priestly, The History and Present State of Electricity, 1755 The Electric Connection Franklin and his scientific contemporaries advanced electrical studies in the 18th century through their voluminous and often public correspondence. Peter Collinson read Franklin's letters aloud at meetings of the Royal Society of London. In France, Thomas Dalibard successfully carried out Franklin's suggested method for proving that lightning is electricity. Dilibard published his findings, elevating Franklin's status among European scientists. Giambastista Beccaria, Franklin's Italian translator, verified and extended Franklin's theory of electricity in Italy and defended it against conflicting theories. Closer to home, Thomas Hopkinson first suggested to Franklin that sharp metal points can both throw off electricity and draw off electricity, a property that led to the development of the lightning rod. Although many electrical philosophers adopted Franklin's theory that there is only one type of electricity that can be either positive or negative, others, particularly the preeminent French physician Jean Antoine Nollet, strongly advocated their opposing views.
47. BF_120207_304.JPG: Thunder house late 18th century Thunder houses vividly demonstrated the protective effects of grounded rods and were used by Ebenezer Kinnersley in his sensational but educational lectures. A model building was filled with gunpowder and equipped with a lightning rod that could be grounded or ungrounded. Applying a spark to the grounded rod, the charge would pass through the house without harm. But a spark applied to the ungrounded rod would ignite the gunpowder, blow the roof of the house, and flatten the four walls in a fiery explosion. Ungrounded vs Grounded: Franklin's experiments demonstrated the importance of grounding a lightning rod. Grounded rods were, in Franklin's words, "protective" devices. Ungrounded rods, on the other hand, were used for studying the characteristics of thunderstorm electricity, in all of its brute and fiery power.
48. BF_120207_313.JPG: That Admirable Instrument, the Microscope: Franklin purchased his first microscope from Joseph Breintnall, a friend and fellow Junto member. The microscope brought into focus a new world otherwise invisible to the human eye. As Franklin enthusiastically wrote in his 1751 Poor Richard's Almanack, "That admirable instrument the Microscope has opened to us of these latter Ages, a World utterly unknown to the Ancients. There are very few Substances, in which it does not shew something curious and unexpected." Franklin observed blood cells, peacock feathers, and bones, all of which he claimed were "the most remarkably entertaining Objects."
49. BF_120207_318.JPG: Burning glass/magnifier: 18th century Owned by Benjamin Franklin In June 1752, Franklin asked his friend William Strahan to purchase for him "a Concave Mirror or Burning-Glass," which he used to conduct experiments on the heat absorbency of light and dark material. Encouraging his young friend Polly Stevenson in her education, he wrote, "Try to fire Paper with a burning Glass. If it is White, you will not easily burn it; but if you bring the Focus to a black Spot... the Paper will immediately be on fire under the Letters." The burning glass was also used as a simple magnifier.
50. BF_120207_323.JPG: World Stage: 1744-1787: Franklin was a master diplomat and negotiator, exercising restraint, flexibility, and compromise to bring opposing visions into accord. Whether negotiating with Native Americans in western Pennsylvania or with the great powers of England and France, Franklin drew on strategies of collaboration and mutual self-interest to forge alliances that shaped the future of America. Franklin became a powerful force in the fight for independence, traveling to France to seek aid for America's struggle against Britain. In Paris, Franklin capitalized on his brilliant reputation and charm; his humble demeanor and natural wit served the American cause well, and he forged strong transatlantic ties. In the end, this international alliance resulted in victory after a long Revolutionary War. Once back on American soil, Franklin brought a spirit of compromise and unity to the Constitutional Convention. "Would you persuade, speak of Interest, not of Reason." -- Poor Richard's Almanack, 1734
51. BF_120207_327.JPG: At the Cockpit: On January 29, 1774, Lord Alexander Wedderburn verbally attacked Benjamin Franklin, accusing him of deliberately leaking letters in order to provoke colonial riots against the Crown. This humiliating, hour-long confrontation took place before the members of the British Privy Council at the Cockpit (a room named for its previous use -- cockfighting). While the councilors jeered, Franklin refused to respond, and his silence was more powerful than his words. The letters in question were written by Thomas Hutchinson, the governor of Massachusetts, advising England on ways to deal with growing colonial unrest. They were passed on, indirectly, to Franklin; he shared them with colleagues in Boston and -- despite his request otherwise -- they were published. As a result, radical colonial patriots were outraged, and their increasing hostility culminated in the Boston Tea Party. "The Doctor... stood conspicuously erect, with the smallest movement of any part of his body. The muscles of his face had been previously composed as to afford a placid tranquil expression of countenance, and he did not suffer the slightest alteration of it to appear. -- Edward Bancroft, who observed the confrontation in the Cockpit
52. BF_120207_357.JPG: A Consummate Diplomat: Franklin was a natural listener. This served him well as he undertook diplomatic efforts on behalf of the colonies and, eventually, the United States. His life as a diplomat spanned over forty years and began just as he was being recognized for his scientific achievements, both in American and abroad. "War begets Poverty, Poverty Peace; Peace makes Riches flow, (Fate ne're doth cease.) Riches produce Pride, Pride is War's Ground; War begets Poverty, &c. The World goes round." -- Richard Saunders (Benjamin Franklin), A Pocket Almanack For the Year 1744
53. BF_120207_366.JPG: Forging Unions, 1740-1754: In the early 1750s, Franklin helped in the efforts to reinforce treaties with Native Americans along the western frontier in Pennsylvania. The Natives demanded that English colonists desist in their expansion westward, while the colonists hoped to win Native friendship for the looming conflict of empire between France and Britain. Franklin was struck by the Native Americans' alliances -- confederations -- that enabled them to find common cause against European encroachment. He would draw on the idea of confederation when, at a special colonial congress held at Albany in 1754, he proposed a plan for union as a way to protect against the French and their Native allies. The delegates rejected the Albany Plan, fearing a loss of autonomy if a centralized inter-colonial government were established. During the French and Indian War that followed (1754-1763), Franklin worked to establish and provide support for Pennsylvania's militia in western Pennsylvania. "Union of the colonies is absolutely necessary for their preservation." -- Benjamin Franklin, Reasons and Motives for the Albany Plan of Union, 1754
54. BF_120207_378.JPG: A Fur Cap is Always On His Head: When Franklin arrived in France in 1777, he was an instant celebrity. Franklin described to his daughter, Sally, the variety of souvenirs made there with his image, writing: "These, with the pictures, busts, and prints, (of which copies upon copies are spread everywhere,) had made your father's face as well known as that of the moon." With his rustic fur cap and simple dress (as opposed to the ceremonial wigs and robes of the court at Versailles), Franklin fit the romanticized stereotype of a natural man from the uncharted wilderness of the New World. "It is said... that the name doll, for the image children play with, is derived from the word IDOL. From the number of dolls now made of him, he may be truly said, in that sense to be i-doll-ized in this country." -- Letter from Benjamin Franklin to Sarah Franklin Bache, 1777
55. BF_120207_381.JPG: Snuffbox with portrait print of Franklin, Voltaire, and Rousseau (French), late 18th century The grouping of Franklin with these eminent figures illustrates his status in France as one of the leading philosophers of the Enlightenment.
56. BF_120207_398.JPG: Treaty of Paris September 3, 1783 Signed on September 3, 1783, and ratified by the Continental Congress on January 14, 1784, the Treaty of Paris formally ended the Revolutionary War and established the United States as an independent and sovereign nation. Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and John Jay negotiated the treaty for the United States. Franklin's rather decorative signature accompanied those of his fellow negotiators on the document.
57. BF_120207_404.JPG: Letter from Benjamin Franklin to Secretary of Foreign Affairs Robert Livingston April 8, 1782 The surrender of Lord Cornwallis to George Washington and French forces on October 19, 1781, effectively ended the Revolutionary War. The subsequent collapse of Lord North's government in London made peace all but certain. In this letter to Congress, Franklin noted this "extraordinary revolution" in British politics. Peace talks began once the new government headed by Lord Rockingham was in place.
58. BF_120207_410.JPG: Journal of the Constitutional Convention, July 5, 1787: Although Franklin initially favored a single-house national legislature, during the Constitutional Convention, he ultimately accepted a two-house legislative model. The method of apportioning legislative representation remained highly contentious, however. Smaller states feared that representation based on population would leave them in a relatively weak position compared to their more populous neighbors. A committee, which included Franklin, worked out a compromise: representation in the House of Representatives would be based on a state's population; in the Senate, each state would have an equal vote.
59. BF_120207_418.JPG: Building a Nation, 1787-1790 Franklin returned to America in 1785 and within two years was once again at the center of the effort to define and shape the new nation. In 1787 he was the oldest member of the Constitutional Convention, suffering from poor health and often excruciating pain. Nonetheless, Franklin's experience as a seasoned diplomat and negotiator, combined with his keen observation of human nature, made him an ideal delegate to the Convention. His most important contributions were his spirit of pragmatic compromise and strong desire for unity. He drew on both to play a significant role in brokering the "Great Compromise"--a legislature of two houses, one elected in proportion to population and one in which each state would have equal representation. "I confess that I do not entirely approve of this Constitution at present, but Sir, I am not sure I shall never approve it. . . . this I consent, Sir, to this Constitution because I expect no better, and because I am not sure that it is not the best." --Benjamin Franklin, Speech in the Convention at the Conclusion of its Deliberations, 1787
60. BF_120207_423.JPG: "Fugio" pennies (obverse and reverse) 1787 Brass and copper The first coins issued by the authority of the United States were based on an earlier design suggested by Franklin, which showed the chain of union between the 13 states and was used on currency issued in 1776. The obverse shows a sundial with the legend "Fugio [I fly] 1787 Mind your business" and the reverse reads, "We are one United States."
61. BF_120207_430.JPG: "Life is a kind of Chess, in which we often have Points to gain, & Competitors or Adversaries to contend with. . . . The game is so full of events. . .that one is encourage to continue the Contest to the last, in hopes of Victory from our own skill." -- Benjamin Franklin, The Morals of Chess, 1779
62. BF_120207_434.JPG: Printed version of the United States Constitution: On September 17, 1787, the delegates to the Constitutional Convention completed their work and sent a signed parchment copy of the Constitution -- - along with hundreds of copies printed by John Dunlap and David Claypoole -- - to the Articles of Confederation Congress then meeting in New York. After further debate, the Confederation Congress sent the Constitution to the state legislatures, who would distribute them to ratifying conventions. The printed version shown here was printed on September 29, 1787, based on the type already set by the New York newspaper the Independent Journal. It was then placed in the Resolve Book of the Office for Foreign Affairs.
63. BF_120207_442.JPG: Seeing Franklin 1787 –Today At 81, Benjamin Franklin was twice the average age of the other members of the Constitutional Convention. Suffering from gout and kidney stones, he nevertheless continued his public career. In these final years of his life, Franklin remained open-minded and reflective. He renewed work on his autobiography -- started years earlier -- and served as President of the Pennsylvania Abolition Society, taking a prominent stand against slavery. Since his death in April 1790, more than two centuries ago, Franklin has been memorialized, revered, romanticized, spoofed, and made into an advertising and financial icon. His face and figure have been depicted in every medium -- stone, paint, film, cartoon, the Internet -- and can be seen on billboards and building facades, postage stamps, and the $100 bill. Franklin's name evokes imagination, wit, and entrepreneurial ingenuity worldwide. How do you see Franklin? "Fear not Death; for the sooner we die, the longer shall we be immortal." -- Poor Richard's Almanack, 1740
64. BF_120207_444.JPG: M�moires de la vie priv�e de Benjamin Franklin, first French edition Paris: Chez Buisson, 1791 Collections of The Bakken Library and Museum This French translation of the first section of Franklin's memoirs, focusing on only the initial 25 years of his life, is the first published edition of Franklin's Autobiography. Following came several other versions, based on the French. The true first edition of the complete Autobiography (consisting of four parts) was finally printed in 1868, when John Bigelow found and published Franklin's original manuscript.
65. BF_120207_454.JPG: The Most Famous Autobiography Though he never finished writing it, Franklin's Autobiography is the most widely published memoir in history and has never gone out of print. In his autobiography, which he started as a letter to his son, Franklin offers the story of his life as an archetypal journey from rags to riches. The Autobiography remains inspiring today: it documents Franklin's many achievements, details his struggles with personal improvement, explains his belief in personal virtue, and exemplifies his ceaseless self-questioning. "I have ever had a Pleasure in obtaining any little Anecdotes of my Ancestors . . . Now imagining it may be equally agreeble to you to know the Circumstances of my Life . . . I sit down to write them for you." -- - Benjamin Franklin, Autobiography
66. BF_120207_460.JPG: Decree of French National Assembly on the death of Franklin: Franklin was widely popular in France, where he had lived from 1776 to 1785 as the chief U.S. diplomatic representative. After hearing of his death on April 17, 1790, the French National Assembly issued a decree that its members would observe three days of mourning. Further, the President of the Assembly would write to Congress informing it of the honor being paid to Franklin.
67. BF_120207_467.JPG: "I have sometimes almost wished it had been my Destiny to be born two or three Centuries hence. For Inventions of Improvement are prolific, and beget more of their Kind. The present Progress is rapid. Many of great Importance, now unthought of, will before that Period be procur'd; and then I might not only enjoy their Advantages, but have my Curiosity satisfy'd in knowing what they are to be." –– Benjamin Franklin to Rev. John Lathrop, 1788 "Far more engaging than the icon, the historical Franklin is so accessible and such fun! Everyone should consider his devotion to public service, examine his astute diplomacy, admire his skillful writing and irrepressible wit, repeat and enjoy some of his simple experiments, trace the reception and legacy of his ideas and discoveries. Doing so would help students and citizens understand how earnest pursuit of intense curiosity and social compassion reshape human culture -- in his time, in ours, and beyond." -- - Dudley Herschbach, Nobel Laureate (Chemistry), 2005
68. BF_120207_469.JPG: "Unite or Die" cartoon, published in Pennsylvania Journal and Weekly Advertiser, November 16, 1774 Woodcut Collection of Roy T. Lefkoe, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania In May 1754, just before the Albany Conference, Franklin published this cut rattlesnake cartoon. It illustrated an editorial urging the colonies to join together against the French. This motif remained popular, reappearing in the period leading up to the Revolutionary War as a symbol of the strength of colonial unity against Great Britain.
69. BF_120207_475.JPG: Engraved by Edward Duffield, struck by Joseph Richardson Peace Medal (from the Friendly Association for Regaining and Preserving Peace with the Indians), 1757 Silver Library Company of Philadelphia Depicting an Indian and a Quaker sharing a peace pipe on one side and King George II on the other, this was the first peace medal made in America. Franklin and others would distribute these medals to Native Americans as tokens of goodwill.
70. BF_120207_484.JPG: Joseph Richardson Ceremonial gorget given to Indians, 1757-1758 Silver Atwater Kent Museum of Philadelphia, Historical Society of Pennsylvania Collection Gorgets, worn at the neck, were among the gifts presented to Native Americans as tokens of peace and friendship. Engraved into this example, one of 40 gorgets given to Delaware and Iroquois chiefs by Governor Robert Hunter Morris, is the image of an Indian and a Quaker sharing a peace pipe.
71. BF_120207_489.JPG: Acting Abroad, 1754-1765 In 1757, Franklin was sent to London as an agent of Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Georgia. While there, he enjoyed the chance to socialize with other scientific thinkers, all while pursuing his colonial commercial and diplomatic interests. All told, Franklin would cross the Atlantic eight times in the coming decades. Franklin was in London in 1765 when the Stamp Act Crisis erupted. He briefly supported the Act, but when he realized the depth of colonial opposition, he testified against it. His testimony helped secure the repeal of the unpopular legislation. "The Stamp Act, notwithstanding all the Opposition that could be given it by the American Interest, will pass." -- Letter from Benjamin Franklin to David Hall, 1765
72. BF_120207_493.JPG: Declaring Independence, 1765-1776 While in London, Franklin firmly believed that the growing rift between England and her colonies could be mended and he worked to find compromises. However, in the wake of the Boston Tea Party in 1774, and as colonial calls for "no taxation without representation" grew louder, Franklin came to see the two sides as irreconcilable. In 1775, soon after his showdown with Lord Wedderburn over the leaking of Governor Hutchinson's letters, Franklin left London for Philadelphia, ready to rejoin his countrymen and throw his full support for the Revolutionary cause. Franklin was elected to the Second Continental Congress later that year and proposed the first Articles of Confederation to link the colonies together. In 1776, he helped draft the Declaration of Independence and was one of the signers. "Enough has happened, one would think, to convince your ministers that the Americans will fight, and that this is a harder nut to crack than they imagined." -- Letter from Benjamin Franklin to Joseph Priestley, 1775
73. BF_120207_496.JPG: Begun by Robert Edge Pine and finished by Edward Savage Congress Voting Independence 1796-1817 Oil on canvas Atwater Kent Museum of Philadelphia, Historical Society of Pennsylvania Collection Pine's painting is considered one of the most realistic renditions of this historic event. Several key political figures can be identified in the painting, including the members of the committee to draft the Declaration. Jefferson is the tall man depositing the Declaration of Independence on the table. Benjamin Franklin sits to his right. Fellow committee members John Adams, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston stand behind Jefferson. John Hancock is behind the table in the center.
74. BF_120207_506.JPG: Supporting the Revolution, 1776-1785 In late 1776, Franklin was sent to France to negotiate French aid for the American cause. Over the course of the war, the French provided supplies and troops to the colonies, and underwrote aid worth $13 billion in today's money. While in France, Franklin attended social and intellectual salons with scientists, philosophers and politicians. He even had an audience before King Louis XVI. His quiet charm and cultivated simplicity impressed the French. In 1780, British General Lord Cornwallis surrendered to the Americans at Yorktown and the following year, Congress appointed Franklin, John Adams, John Jay and Henry Laurens to negotiate a peace treaty with Britain. In 1783, Franklin and his fellow commissioners signed the Treaty of Paris, formally establishing the peace with Great Britain. "There shall be a firm, inviolable and universal Peace, and a true and sincere Friendship between the most Christian King, his Heirs and Successors, and the United States of America." -- Treaty of Amity, 1778
75. BF_120207_514.JPG: Rough Journal of Continental Congress, June 11, 1776 – appt. of Franklin, Jefferson & Adams to draft Declaration of Independence: On June 11, 1776, the second Continental Congress chose a committee of five delegates to "prepare a declaration of independency." Serving along with Franklin were Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston. Franklin edited Jefferson's initial draft, notably suggesting the phrase "We hold these truths to be self-evident." Jefferson's original had described these truths as "sacred and undeniable." The committee submitted this draft to the Continental Congress, which made further alterations until arriving at the final version on July 4, 1776.
76. BF_120207_524.JPG: Letter from Franklin to Secret Correspondence Committee, January 4, 1777: Franklin, Silas Deane, and Arthur Lee formed the American commission sent to Paris seeking French support of the Revolution. Franklin and his fellow diplomats met with the Comte de Vergennes, French foreign minister, and eventually with Louis XVI. The American diplomats were ultimately successful in negotiating French support, which proved vital in the revolutionary cause. In this letter, Franklin informed the Continental Congress of his arrival and early diplomatic progress.
77. BF_120207_529.JPG: Supplies for the American Army With the start of the Revolutionary War, Americans faced the daunting challenge of fighting the British Empire -- until now, their main provider of military goods. As Commissioner to France, one of Franklin's major duties was to secure desperately needed supplies for the American army. Working from an extensive list provided by Congress, Franklin sought everything from cannons, to musical instruments, to buttons and shoes. Over the course of the war, the French provided supplies, and underwrote aid worth $13 billion in today's money. "I have at last obtained a Promise of Some money towars the supplies and shall want I believe 10,000 suits of Cloaths with shirts, hats stockings and shoes." -- Letter from Benjamin Franklin to Jonathan Williams, Jr., 1779
78. BF_120207_531.JPG: "Estimate of Stores for the Armye––Estimate N3," July 1779 Manuscript The Historical Society of Pennsylvania Congress sent Franklin this detailed, 38-page list of supplies to acquire in France. It specified items essential to outfitting and sustaining the American troops, ranging from arms of all sorts to bolts of cloth for uniforms, cooking pots, fifes and drums, and goods for Indian allies -- all of which then had to be smuggled across the Atlantic, often via the Caribbean. The first ship, the "Marquis de Lafayette," was captured at sea by a British gun boat, the bounty sold at auction in London, and Franklin had to start all over again. Ultimately, however, Franklin succeeded, and the supplies made their way to America.
79. BF_120207_535.JPG: Master Diplomat From his early talks with Native Americans to his final negotiations with England and France, Franklin consistently employed a range of skillful tactics in his role as diplomat. Restraint, compromise, cunning, and vision were among the qualities Franklin brought to the table. He traced his diplomatic strategy back to his understanding of the game of chess. Reflecting on the American victory at Yorktown in 1781, Franklin wrote to Mme Brillon, "I never give up on a game before it is finished, always hoping that I shall eventually win."
80. BF_120207_541.JPG: An Avid Correspondent During his service in London Franklin traveled throughout Europe, while still conducting business and corresponding regularly with family, friends, and acquaintances. From a young age Franklin was an avid letter writer. Since 1959 his correspondence has been published in the Papers of Benjamin Franklin, a joint project of the American Philosophical Society and Yale University. When completed, the Papers will total 47 volumes. "If I do not correspond so fully and punctually with you as you expected, consider the Situation and Business I am in, the Number of Correspondents I have to write to . . . besides the many Matters of Use and Importance worth a Stranger's while to enquire into . . . I think you will be more ready to excuse me." –– Benjamin Franklin to David Hall, 1759
81. BF_120207_545.JPG: Traveling lap desk (probably English), ca. 1757 Mahogany, maple, baize, and brass Historical and Interpretive Collections of The Franklin Institute, Inc., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Owned by Benjamin Franklin; he gave it to a friend and then it later passed back into the family of Richard Bache II With its compartments for ink and supplies and locking drawers that could only be opened from the inside, this portable writing desk was ideal for transporting and storing correspondence during Franklin's extensive travels in Europe.
82. BF_120207_550.JPG: Purse/wallet (English), ca. 1770 Leather Collection Robert W. Sullivan IV Owned by Benjamin Franklin; descended in the family of William Bache Folded scraps of paper found in this purse note the purchase of rum and tea, among other things.
83. BF_120207_553.JPG: Calling card, 1757–1775 Ink on paper Collection of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Pennsylvania Franklin used this handwritten calling card when he lived in London.
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2012 photos: Equipment this year: My mainstays were the Fuji S100fs, Nikon D7000, and the new Fuji X-S1. I also used an underwater Fuji XP50 and a Nikon D600. The first three cameras all broke this year and had to be repaired. Trips this year: three Civil War Trust conferences (Shepherdstown, WV, Richmond, VA, and Williamsburg, VA), a week-long family reunion cruise of the Caribbean, another week-long family reunion in the Wisconsin Dells (with lots of in-transit time in Ohio and Indiana), and my 7th consecutive San Diego Comic-Con trip (including side trips to Zion, Bryce, the Grand Canyon, etc). Ego strokes: I had a picture of Miss DC, Ashley Boalch, published in the Washington Post. I had a photograph of the George Segal San Francisco Holocaust memorial used as the cover of Quebec Francais (issue 165). Not being able to read French, I'm not entirely sure what the article is about but, hey! And I guess what could be considered to be a positive thing, my site is now established enough that spammers have noticed it and I had to block 17,000 file description postings for Viagra and whatever else.. Number of photos taken this year: just below 410,000.
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