Statue of Benjamin Franklin (University of Pennsylvania)
Benjamin Franklin | |
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Artist | John J. Boyle |
Year | 1896-99 |
Type | Bronze |
Dimensions | 230 cm × 130 cm × 150 cm (90 in × 53 in × 59 in) |
Location | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States |
39°57′7″N 75°11′37.25″W / 39.95194°N 75.1936806°W | |
Owner | University of Pennsylvania |
Benjamin Franklin is a bronze sculpture of a seated Franklin by John J. Boyle at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is located in front of College Hall, on Locust Walk, between 34th and 36th Streets,[1] and is one of three statues of Franklin on the campus.
It was commissioned by department store founder Justus C. Strawbridge in 1896, as a gift to the City of Philadelphia. It was cast by the Henry-Bonnard Bronze Company of New York, and installed in 1899 in front of Philadelphia's Main Post Office, at 9th and Chestnut Streets.[2] Benjamin Franklin was the first United States Postmaster General. The granite pedestal was designed by architect Frank Miles Day. Its inscription quotes President George Washington's eulogy of Franklin:
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN
1706-1790
VENERATED
FOR BENEVOLENCE
ADMIRED FOR TALENTS
ESTEEMED FOR PATRIOTISM
BELOVED FOR
PHILANTHROPY
WASHINGTON
(On back of pedestal):
PRESENTED TO THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA BY JUSTUS C STRAWBRIDGE 1899
(On back of statue):
JOHN J. BOYLE 1899
HENRY-BONNARD BRONZE CO FOUNDERS NY 1899
GIFT OF JUSTUS C STRAWBRIDGE
A signed Founder's mark also appears on the back of the statue.[3]
In 1938, when the Post Office was razed, the City gave the statue on permanent loan to the University of Pennsylvania. Franklin played a major role in establishing the university. It was relocated to the Penn campus, and rededicated on January 21, 1939.
It was cleaned and reinstalled in 1980.
Replica
A copy of the statue was given by the New England Society to France in 1906. It is located at the Trocadéro in Paris.
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Main Post Office, Philadelphia, in 1904.
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Close-up.
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Benjamin Franklin, Trocadéro, Paris, France.
See also
References
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- 1899 establishments in Pennsylvania
- 1899 sculptures
- Statues of Benjamin Franklin
- Bronze sculptures in Pennsylvania
- Monuments and memorials in Philadelphia
- Outdoor sculptures in Philadelphia
- Sculptures of men in Pennsylvania
- Statues in Pennsylvania
- University of Pennsylvania campus
- Relocated buildings and structures in Pennsylvania