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c. 1856 Benjamin Franklin Portrait Commemorative Silk Ribbon

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Autographs Start Price:160.00 USD Estimated At:300.00 - 400.00 USD
c. 1856 Benjamin Franklin Portrait Commemorative Silk Ribbon
Post-Revolutionary War to Civil War
Commemorative Benjamin Franklin Portrait Silk Ribbon
c. 1830-50 Benjamin Franklin Commemorative Silk Ribbon with Benjamin Franklin’s Portrait at center, After the Painting by Joseph Siffred Duplessis, 1785, Black Imprint on White Silk, Fine.


Benjamin Franklin, Joseph Siffred Duplessis, 1785, housed in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery. This ribbon measures 7.5” x 2.5”. has light even tone and some expected wrinkles. Similar to ribbons of the 1856 Franklin Statue Procession, but with only Franklin’s 1785 portrait at center with no other impressions and on an earlier style silk ribbon, thus possibly from c. 1832 period commemorating the Centennial of George Washington’s birth in 1732. While many people often associate Ben Franklin with Philadelphia, he was born in Boston, baptized in the Old South Meeting House and attended Boston Latin School. Today, an 8-foot statue of Ben Franklin stands in front of the Old City Hall, paying tribute to him. It was also the first public statue of a person in the city of Boston.
Benjamin Franklin’s Portrait at center, After the Painting by Joseph Siffred Duplessis, 1785, housed at the National Portrait Gallery. A common mistake made by many is the assumption that Benjamin Franklin was President of the United States. The fact is, unlike his contemporaries George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, Franklin never held the office of the presidency. He was the governor of Pennsylvania, the first United States ambassador to France and Sweden and the first ever United States Postmaster General.

A writer, civic leader, inventor, diplomat and top political thinker of his time, Benjamin Franklin was one of America’s founding fathers. And although most Americans know about his daredevil electrical experiment where he attached a metal key to a kite and flew it in a thunderstorm, there are many other reasons that Benjamin Franklin is known as one of the country’s most influential figures. Here are some fun facts about the man that helped shape our nation’s history.