FRANKLIN, BENJAMIN. 1706-1790.


CHAMBERLIN, MASON, artist. B. Franklin of Philadelphia L.L.D., F.R.S. [London]: Chamberlin, [after 1762]. Mezzotint on paper, 377 x 275 mm, engraved by Edward Fisher, matted and framed, trimmed close to plate marks, small stain below subject's knee.A dramatic and nuanced mezzotint 3/4 portrait of Franklin sitting at his desk with quill in one hand and a manuscript on the desk in the other as he gazes to the left. A curtain is pulled back to the right showing lightning striking damage into a nearby house while a closer building equipped with a lightening rod avoids harm. To the left, an electrical device consisting of two bells and with two cork balls hanging from silk threads attached to one of the bells. Chamberlin's portrait was Franklin's favorite and he had a copy made for his son.