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c. 1790 BENJAMIN FRANKLIN APOTHEOSIS Textile - Benjamin Franklin and Liberty

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:1,900.00 USD Estimated At:3,000.00 - 3,500.00 USD
c. 1790 BENJAMIN FRANKLIN APOTHEOSIS Textile - Benjamin Franklin and Liberty
Federal Period
1790 “The Apotheosis of Franklin” Textile of Benjamin Franklin and Liberty Listed in “Threads of History, No. 8”
c. 1790 Federal Period, “The Apotheosis of Franklin,” Memorial Historic Textile depicting Benjamin Franklin and Liberty, Choice Very Fine.
Impressive and Listed as Number 8, page 51, of “Threads of History” by Collins, this red transfer printed textile measures approx. 19.5” x 29.5" on cotton. Titled “The Apotheosis of Franklin,” it features a richly symbolic vignette of Benjamin Franklin and Liberty holding a banner reading “WHERE LIBERTY DWELLS THERE IS MY COUNTRY” near the “Temple of Fame,” and two cherubs holding a map of the eastern United States. The top half of a larger textile which has been trimmed along the bottom edge--absent is the bottom segment with George Washington on a leopard-drawn chariot. This historical textile is still valuable for its depiction of Franklin and Liberty. The left and right edges were machine hemmed but the stitching has been removed, not detracting from the excellent quality of the bright, clean textile that is perfect for framing and display.

This is an outstanding Post-Revolutionary War period memorial to Benjamin Franklin, printed on fine cloth fabric, and created to honor Franklin upon his death in 1790. The New York Historical Society has a pair of curtains made of this fabric, and another example of the complete textile is held in the Chester County Historical Society. There are other versions of this textile known to have been printed in red and white and also brown and white. In our December 1999 EAHA auction we sold a complete coverlet with 4 panels of Franklin and Washington for $6,900. Just one of these panels has been known to sell for as much as $4,000 previously.