Portrait print of Benjamin Franklin (Wilson/Haid), 1778
Photo courtesy of National...
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Photo courtesy of National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution

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The mezzotint is a porthole portrait of Franklin's head and left shoulder, set within an oval surround, with a title or caption engraved as though on a plaque mounted on a stone wall. The conceit is effective in providing great gravity to a minimal image.

This is not shown in Sellers, but an example is in the collections of the National Portrait Gallery (NPG.78.114).

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