Joseph-Siffréde Duplessis (1725–1802)
Portrait of Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790)
Pastel, 1783
Portrait of Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790)
On October 26, 1776, Benjamin Franklin set sail from Philadelphia for Paris to raise support for the American War of Independence, hoping to negotiate a formal alliance between France and the rebellious British colonies. Members of Paris’s literary and scientific circles admired his intellect and unpretentious self-presentation, and the elderly statesman quickly became a fixture in high society. Multiple portraits of Franklin were created after his arrival in Paris, including this pastel by King Louis XVI’s official portraitist, Joseph-Siffréde Duplessis. A portable medium, pastel allowed Duplessis to execute this portrait from life at Franklin’s home in Passy. The work, donated in 1908, was among the earliest gifts to the Library.
Currently on View at Stephen A. Schwarzman Building
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