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Home / Exhibits / Past Exhibits
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Benjamin Franklin Drawing
Electricity from the Sky
Benjamin West, Philadelphia Museum of Art
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October 13, 2006 – January 21, 2007
Happy 300th Birthday, Ben! He drew lightning from the sky, helped establish the first public hospital, university and library, and went on to shape an independent and unified nation, as well as the American character. He was a printer, writer, scientist, inventor, civic leader, revolutionary and international diplomat. He was one of the more extraordinary men of his time — and ours.
And on January 17, 2006, we marked Benjamin Franklin’s 300th birthday — our first founding father to reach this milestone.
The exhibition, an engaging and seamless blend of art, history, science, and material culture, features Franklin's original possessions, including many items never publicly displayed, as well as iconic works of art and rare documents. In particular, we are proud to have original drafts of five key founding documents in Americas's history: the 1754 Albany Plan, the Declaration of Independence, the Treaty of Amity and Commerce with France, the Treaty of Paris ending the American Revolution, and the U.S. Constitution. The exhibition also features some forty hands-on, interactive devices that enable visitors to explore Franklin's eighteenth-century world using twenty-first-century technology.
This engaging and memorable exhibition will convey the original genius, wit and imagination of Ben Franklin. Through a series of interactive multimedia exhibits combined with the largest collection of original Franklin materials ever assembled, Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World brings our most remarkable Founding Father to life.
Local funding for the exhibition is provided by The Hamill Foundation, Herzstein Foundation, Harriet and Truett Latimer Endowment, Time Warner Cable, BP America, Examiner Newspaper Group and METRO.
Exhibit Guide EN ESPAÑOL
PDF
The Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary
This exhibition was organized by The Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary, a consortium of five Philadelphia institutions: the American Philosophical Society; The Franklin Institute; the Library Company of Philadelphia; Philadelphia Museum of Art; and University of Pennsylvania, with the generous support of The Pew Charitable Trusts, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the John Templeton Foundation, the Annenberg Foundation, the Florence Gould Foundation, The Barra Foundation, Inc., the Lenfest Foundation, Save America’s Treasures, Mr. and Mrs. Po and Helen Chung, The McLean Contriubutionship, and a grant through the National Park Service.
Click to learn more about Ben Franklin Tercentenary.
Please note: No photography or recording of any type allowed inside the exhibition.
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