Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library

Franklin at the Court of France, 1778
1853
William Jay, publisher; Charles J. Hendenberg, publisher; William H. Emerson, publisher; W. O. Geller, engraver; Baron Jolly, painter
USA; Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
Engraving on paper
frame: 42-1/2"h x 50-1/4"w x 1"d
Special Acquisitions Fund
74.2.43

Engraving of Benjamin Franklin at the Court of France, 1778; marked at bottom "PAINTED BY BARON JOLLY, BRUXELLES./ FRANKLIN AT THE COURT OF FRANCE, 1778,/ ENGRAVED BY W. O. GELLER, LONDON./ Receiving the homage of his Genius and the recognition of his Country's advent among the Nations. This Engraving from the Original picture is respectfully dedicated to the People of the United States./ PUBLISHED BY WILLIAM JAY, CHARLES J. HENDENBERG AND WILLIAM H. EMERSON, PHILADELPHIA, PA."

Benjamin Franklin represented the United States at the French court from 1776 through 1785. This work shows the plainly dressed Franklin being crowned with a laurel wreath, a traditional symbol of victory, in a sea of elaborately dressed women. William Overend Geller engraved this print from the original painting onto a steel plate. These hard and durable plates took detail well, did not wear as quickly as engravings on other kinds of metal, and were popular with publishers in the middle and late 1800s.