Figure (Benjamin Franklin)

Description

This portrait of Franklin (mislabeled "Washington") bears a striking resemblance to a statue that was erected in Boston on September 17th, in 1856. An image of the statue was published in "The Illustrated London News on October 25th, 1856. The mislabeling of the ceramic perhaps is understandable, as figures with Franklin’s same pose, body-form and dangling paper also were made with heads of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and others. (See Pugh, Staffordshire Portrait Figures, pp. B199-B203.)