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

A rare 1868 broadside illustrating the wit and wisdom of Benjamin Franklin (1706 - 1790). The image features 24 medallions, each with quotes from 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 and 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. It was re-engraved by Alvin Oliver Pelton and issued in the United States as early as 1859 by Samuel L. Allen and Thomas R. Holland. The present broadside was published from the original Pelton plate by N. Monroe 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. We note no cataloged examples of the present Monroe edition.