Museum Collections
Luce Center
Apotheosis of Franklin
Title
Apotheosis of Franklin
Object name
Textile fragment
Date
1944
Medium
Linen
Dimensions
Overall: 41 1/2 x 37 in. ( 105.4 x 94 cm )
Description
Linen printed textile fragment with the apotheosis of Benjamin Franklin depicted in green on white ground; additional figures include a personification of liberty standing next to Franklin and a female warrior holding a shield with thirteen stars floating in the air on his opposite side, George Washington standing upright in a chariot drawn by a pair of leopards and led by two Native Americans blowing trumpets and waving banners, and a pair of cupids holding between them an oval map showing the Atlantic Ocean and the eastern half of North America.
Credit Line
Gift of John S. Kebabian
Object Number
1944.159
Marks
printed: on banner held by Franklin: WHERE LIBERTY / DWELLS THERE IS / MY COUNTRY"
printed: on shield held by allegorical figure seated next to Washington: "AMERICAN / INDEPEND- / -ANCE. / 1776"
Gallery Label
This textile fragment is a modern reproduction of an old pattern in the Society's collection (1937.514).
Due to ongoing research, information about this object is subject to change.





