(FOUNDING FATHERS.) J.C. Vasseur, engraver; after Borel. L'Amérique Indépendante, Dédiée au Congrés des Etats Unis de l'Amérique. Engraving, 20 x 15 1/4 inches; pinhole in top margin, minor edge wear, 2-inch repaired tear in lower left corner. Paris, 1778
An allegorical portrait of Benjamin Franklin, dedicated to the Continental Congress. He is shown surrounded by female allegorical figures of America, Wisdom, Prudence, and Liberty, watching as a warrior beats a crowned figure into submission. The vignette at the bottom shows a chain of 13 links, each inscribed with the name of one of the 13 original states. Fowble 142; Sellers, Franklin pages 120-121, 195-197. 4 in OCLC, and none traced at auction since 1932.
