Benjamin Franklin — Federal Period Lithographic Portrait
Circa 1796 — Frame: 9½ x 6⅝ inches; sight: 6⅜ x 4 inches
 
A refined Federal-period lithographic portrait of Benjamin Franklin, engraved by W. Grainger, depicting Franklin in profile with a dramatic lightning motif in the background—an allusion to his celebrated experiments with electricity. Issued as the frontispiece to Letter to George Washington by Thomas Paine, the image reflects the continued posthumous veneration of Franklin as both a man of science and a foundational figure of the American Republic.
 
Condition: Very fine.