Plaque Portrait of Benjamin Franklin

Art Historical Context

This intimate circular portrait captures Benjamin Franklin, one of America’s most celebrated Founding Fathers, in a compact format measuring just over five inches in diameter. Created sometime between 1776 and 1883, the work belongs to the Metropolitan Museum’s American Wing, where it serves as a modest yet evocative tribute to Franklin’s enduring legacy as statesman, inventor, and diplomat during the nation’s formative years. Painted in oil on cardboard, the plaque format suggests it may have functioned as a portable keepsake or decorative medallion rather than a formal canvas. Such small-sc...