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1777

Portrait of Benjamin Franklin in a Fur Cap

Augustin de Saint-Aubin

French, 1736 - 1807

The publication of this image, one of the earliest to appear after Benjamin Franklin's arrival in Paris, was mentioned in French newspapers in the summer of 1777; the portrait was quickly copied in other mediums. Cochin's subtle rendering-showing Franklin glancing to one side with his head slightly turned, his mouth about to open-may have influenced Houdon's later portrayal.

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Augustin de Saint-Aubin, Portrait of Benjamin Franklin in a Fur Cap, 1777 | Philadelphia Museum of Art