Fauntest iy Benjamin Helsen in 1759 Taken from Franklin's home in Philadelphia bage dagen. John Suite in 1978 andcarved to England by Sir Charles Grey. Resented to the United States at the Franklin Bicentennial in 1906, by Saat Grey. GovernorGeneral of Canada. Cowhanging in the White. Hocese. Washington COPYRIGHT 1906 BY HOUGHTON MIFFLIN AND COMPANY ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Cb39 OF THIS EDITION 1000 COPIES WERE PRINTED AT THE RIVERSIDE PRESS CAMBRIDGE MDCCCCVI NOTES ON THE ILLUSTRATIONS All the reproductions in this volume, with one exception (the Chamberlin portrait), bave been made from original sources, through the courtesy of the owners. For various reasons a number of well-known portraits and facsimiles are not included. THE FRANKLIN BICENTENNIAL MEDAL (obverse) • Front Cover The gold medal designed by Louis and Augustus Saint-Gaudens, and struck January 17, 1906, to commemorate the two hundredth anniversary of Franklin's birth, was presented to the French Government by the United States. It is reproduced on the cover by permission of Hon. Elihu Root, Secretary of State, and by the courtesy of Franklin's great-great-granddaughter, Miss Agnes Irwin, LL.D. (St. Andrew's, Scotland, which, in 1759, conferred the degree of LL.D. on Franklin), who allowed her bronze copy of the medal to be used for this reproduction. BENJAMIN FRANKLIN (photogravure). Frontispiece From the original "Earl Grey" portrait painted by Benjamin Wilson in 1759. This portrait was taken from Franklin's home in Philadelphia in 1778 by Major John André, and carried to England by General Sir Charles Grey. It was presented to the United States at the Franklin Bicentennial, 1906, by his Excellency Earl Grey, Governor-General of Canada. It now hangs in the White House, Washington. The autograph is from a letter written in 1758, in the Chamberlin collection, Boston Public Library. No engraving of this portrait is known to exist, and this is the first time that it has been reproduced in a book. PRESS AT WHICH FRANKLIN WORKED IN WATT'S PRINTING-OFFICE, Title-Page Property of Mrs. Felicia M. Tucker, New York, N. Y. In the Smithsonian 8 SPECIMEN PAGE OF THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY From the original in a New York private library, and reproduced by permission of the owner. NEW ENGLAND COURANT, February 11, 1723 The first issue published by Benjamin Franklin. From the original in the British Museum. TITLE-PAGE OF " A DISSERTATION ON LIBERTY AND NECESSITY, PLEAS- From the original in the Congressional Library, Washington. SIR HANS SLOANE (photogravure) From the original portrait in the National Portrait Gallery, London, painted in 1736 by Stephen Slaughter. Sir Hans Sloane was an English physician who died in 1753, and left to the nation his large collection of curiosities and specimens of natural history. This gift was the foundation of the British Museum. BENJAMIN FRANKLIN (photogravure) • From the original "Sumner" portrait of Franklin at twenty painted in London 20 42 44 50 about 1726. It is said to have been given by Franklin to his brother, John, of Newport, R. I., whose wife was the grandmother of Mrs. Thomas W. Sumner of Brookline, Mass. From Mr. Sumner it passed to Dr. John C. Warren of Boston, who bequeathed it to Harvard College in 1856. The autograph is from a promissory note, given by Franklin to John Phillips, Bookseller, in Boston, May 5, 1724, in possession of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. This is said to be the earliest known Franklin autograph. From the first number published by Benjamin Franklin, October 2, 1729, containing his address to the reader. From the original in the Lenox collection, New York Public Library. DISSOLUTION OF THE FIRM OF BENJAMIN FRANKLIN AND HUGH MEREDITH 68 From the original manuscript in possession of the American Philosophical BENJAMIN FRANKLIN (photogravure) • 70 From the portrait by G. D. Leslie. Copied from the original painting by MRS. DEBORAH Franklin (photogravure) • From the original portrait in the possession of Rev. F. B. Hodge, D. D., Wilkes Barre, Pa. The autograph is from a letter in the possession of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. MRS. RICHARD BACHE (SARAH FRANKLIN) (photogravure) • From the original painted by Hoppner in 1792. This portrait was in the Bache family until 1901, when it came into the possession of the Metropolitan Art Museum, New York City. The autograph is from a letter in the possession of the American Philosophical Society at Philadelphia. POOR RICHARD'S ALMANACK, 1733 • Facsimiles of the first, fifth, seventh, and last pages of the first issue. From an original copy in the possession of the Pennsylvania Historical Society at Philadelphia. Paul Leicester Ford said of it: "Seventy editions of it have been printed in English, fifty-six in French, eleven in German, and nine in Italian. It has been translated into Spanish, Danish, Swedish, Welsh, Polish, Gaelic, Russian, Bohemian, Dutch, Catalan, Chinese, modern Greek, and Phonetic writing. It has been printed at least four hundred times, and is to-day as popular as ever!" Benjamin FRANKLIN (photogravure) From the original painted by David Martin in 1767, now in the possession of Mr. Henry Williams Biddle, Philadelphia. This is known as the "Thumb" portrait, and was painted for Robert Alexander of Edinburgh. Jonathan Williams married Alexander's niece. The portrait was given to them to descend |