1868 Pelton 'Poor Richard' Broadside: Wit and Wisdom of Benjamin Franklin

A rare c. 1859 broadside illustrating the wit and wisdom of Benjamin Franklin (1706 - 1790). In mid-1800s, Franklin emerged as a near-mythic figure embodying the rags-to-riches dream, as well as the Amercian moral and intellectual values of ingenuity, hard work, thrift, and civic-mindedness.

A Closer Look

The image features 24 medallions, each with quotes from Benjamin Franklin's writings in Poor Richard's Almanac, covering topics ranging from work ethics to financial management to temperance. Each medallion features an illustration taken from Poor Richard's Almanac. Most were originally drawn by Robert Dighton - some of the original watercolors survive. There is a portrait of Franklin himself at center, along with birth and death dates. Pelton's mastery as a bank note engraver is much in evidence in the exceptional line and stipple work.

Publication History and Census

We note several variants on this piece. The earliest was issued c. 1795 in London by Bowles and Carver as Bowles's Moral Pictures, or Poor Richard Illustrated. A completely new version was engraved and issued Alvin Oliver Pelton and issued in the United States as early as 1859 by Samuel L. Allen and Thomas R. Holland. It was issued with subtitling and an N. Monroe imprint in 1868. The broadside was again reissued by Thomas O. H. Perry Burnham (1814 - 1891) in 1887. Of the American editions, we note examples at Yale (Clapp) and the Library of Congress (Burnham). All examples are scarce to the market.