Medallion 1786

This bronze medallion depicting Benjamin Franklin was created by Augustin Dupré, a prominent French engraver. Although undated, it commemorates Franklin's birth. But what is the public role of this kind of art? Medallions like this circulated within a culture of enlightened thought and revolutionary sentiment. Made in France, it visually associates Franklin with classical virtue through the profile portrait and Latin inscription, and the image elevates a colonial figure to near-mythic status. The French admiration for Franklin reflected a broader interest in Enlightenment ideals of liberty and reason, ideas which fueled both the American and French Revolutions. To understand this object fully, historians consult not only art historical sources but also period documents, letters, and political pamphlets, reconstructing the complex interplay of art, politics, and social change. The meaning of art is contingent on its social and institutional context.