The Letters Library has done a data analysis on 150,000 letters in the Founders Online Library, including all of Benjamin Franklin’s known correspondence. The graphics of his network of correspondents at three different periods of his life is beautiful. Congrats!
The Library Company of Philadelphia is in a two-year project to develop the Library’s Graphic Arts Department. The project is called Imperfect History: Curating the Graphic Arts Collection at Benjamin Franklin’s Public Library. I found this American version of the Ages of Man interesting: Benjamin Franklin Bache’s one-penny specie (one ninetieth of a dollar) from …
As a private tribute to a Dungeons and Dragons game that played out over 35 years, I made a stained glass window that combined a saying of Franklin’s from Poor Richard (May, 1735) with a drawing of a boat from that game. Pictured above is the main window in the home of a wizard in …
It often happens to me that I read a statement attributed to Franklin and get a vague sense that “it doesn’t sound like Franklin.” In one recent case, it became clear why a particular statement didn’t sound like Franklin, and I’d like to share it. This morning, The Hill published this statement: “A system where …
Tomorrow, Pook and Pook will be auctioning this 19th Century oil painting, from a Maryland estate, Downington, Pennsylvania. 7 Bids as I write this, up to $950. Happy Bidding! Follow-up: while its estimate was in the range of $500-$1000, I see that is sold for $6,500. This is not the short-selling-squeeze that is roiling Wall …
This tribute (link) to Franklin’s birthday from Naperville, Illinois is delightful, as exuberant splash. Congratulations and Happy 315th! The picture above is from our home in Maryland.
The biggest Franklin news of the week is the presence of the gray-coat portrait in the Oval Office. The history of this painting, President Biden’s rationale for selecting it, and how this might refresh a conversation about Franklin’s historical value and worthiness is more substantial and important than I can approach at the moment. As …
The 2021 Benjamin Franklin Birthday Celebration on January 15 included fascinating and timely talks on the theme: The Disintegration of Trust: Restoring Confidence in American Institutions. The 2-hour event is now available to watch free on the 2021 Celebration website. Time stamps throughout the recording allows viewers to watch individual speakers: Kathleen Hall Jamieson – “The …
The quoted statement (in italics below) is one of his most famous, and the full paragraph is one of his most refreshing: I join with you most cordially in rejoicing at the Return of Peace. I hope it will be lasting, and that Mankind will at Length, as they call themselves reasonable Creatures, have Reason …
How nice to be suddenly Bumping Into Franklin by seeing the Walter Isaacson biography of Franklin on Adam Schiff’s bookshelf last night. I can’t see if there is a bookmark on page 454, where Isaacson says of Franklin at the Constitutional Convention: “…he argued that Congress should have the power to impeach the president.” –MCM …
