Benjamin franklin family portrait

When he turns to the Met's portrait the next year, he layers that idealization on. Franklin's pupils rise to the center of his eyes, and his entire head rises from a bulkier warm red coat—all topped by a fur collar with its cords flung aside. A gilded oak frame layers it on that much more, with a wreath and a rattlesnake, as twin emblems of an American hero.

The Met uses radiography to confirm that the pastel served as a model for the painting, with the fur collar a final added touch. The portrait in fur took off, inspiring dozens of copies—and not just in France. Thomas Jefferson commissioned a replica by another artist, and the Met displays one of its own, attributed to the workshop of Duplessis himself.

It had to come from the workshop because the composition and features line up almost exactly with the original, and it could not come from Duplessis because of its flat execution, muddled lips, and mechanical clarity.

Benjamin franklin family portrait: 3 photographs. Description. Photograph

A drawing on translucent paper over glass would have traced the pastel, and incisions could then transfer the drawing to canvas. A more or less tolerable Salon artist may seem an implausible source for America's self-image. Yet when Franklin died inhe knew that the image was in circulation. One might expect the display of a single painting as part of the Jewish Museum's "Masterpieces and Curiosities" from its collectionlike The Steerage by Alfred Stieglitz last winter.

Actually, the series now focuses instead on a Hanukkah lamp by Peter Shire, of Italy's Memphis design group. A candle would look in danger of tumbling off, much like Meyer as seen from below. Meanwhile Sargent's portrait is on loan from Tate Britain and once again a center of attention. Its display at the Jewish Museum is all about its reception.

One might go expecting related paintings and studies, and the room does include portraits of Carl Meyer and his son, by others, in a manner more suited to a nineteenth-century library than to a modern museum. It has a photograph of the couple, but a quarter century after the painting. Mostly, though, it shows Meyer as a man of means, a German Jew who had become a British citizen, an aristocrat, and a representative of the London House of Rothschild—with the badge of a baronet and a silver cigarette case.

Benjamin franklin family portrait: Benjamin Franklin was born

And it attests to the artist as a man of his time and place as well. If you wish to view the condition report of this lot, please sign in to your account. Live Auction Important Americana. Lot Painted in Brought to you by. By the mids, when this portrait was created, Franklin was living outside Paris and representing the interests of the revolutionary American government to the French court.

Joseph Siffred Duplessis was the court painter at the time and received commissions from friends and admirers of Franklin to create his portrait. This portrait continues to contribute to the recognition of Franklin, as it is the same portrait printed on the hundred-dollar bill. As part of the Met's Open Access policyyou can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more. Use your arrow keys to navigate the tabs below, and your tab key to choose an item. Title: Benjamin Franklin — Date: Medium: Oil on canvas. Classification: Paintings. Object Number: The Met's Libraries and Research Centers provide unparalleled resources for research and welcome an international community of students and scholars.

The Met Collection API is where all makers, creators, researchers, and dreamers can connect to the most up-to-date data and public domain images for The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee. We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection.

If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments. Visiting Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion?

Benjamin franklin family portrait: Benjamin Franklin's portrait painted by

Benjamin Franklin — FW Skip forwards ten seconds. Public Domain. Open Access. Painting in frame: corner. Painting in frame: angled corner. Profile drawing of frame. His fortunes rose rapidly and he reached the first rank inshowing a full-length portrait of Louis XVI — in state robes the painting is presumed lost. Two years later he exhibited this oval of Benjamin Franklin in a red coat with a fur collar, a painting which was the subject of much favorable comment.

The picture retains its elaborate original frame bearing the inscription VIR, which draws attention to the distinction of the sitter, whose identity was evidently regarded as obvious. During his embassy to seek aid from France in the years toFranklin and the American cause were enormously popular and his simplicity was admired. His self-presentation, plain dress, thick waist, and untidy, deeply receding unpowdered hair, was in a general way certainly calculated.

Benjamin franklin family portrait: A portrait of Benjamin Franklin's daughter,

The portrait is signed and dated and was painted for Jacques Donatien Le Ray de Chaumont, a wealthy entrepreneur who provided Franklin with a house on his estate near the village of Passy, on the outskirts of Paris, throughout the years of his embassy. A portrait by Duplessis of Franklin that was evidently preliminary to this one New York Public Library is a pastel on parchment and shows him in precisely the same pose but wearing a gray collarless jacket and waistcoat.

The Museum also owns one of the better of many workshop copies Katharine Baetjer Inscription: Signed, dated, and inscribed right center : J. August 25—October 3,no. New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art.