Inside the Vault: Benjamin Franklin
On February 2, 2023, our curators discussed Benjamin Franklin’s copy of the US Constitution and Jean-Antoine Houdon’s bust of Franklin. They were joined by Liz Covart (Founding Director, Colonial Williamsburg Innovation Studios) and Sara Charles (Education Program Manager, Gilder Lehrman Institute). This program was generously sponsored by The Fund for the Endowment of the Diplomatic Reception Rooms.
Click here to download the slides from the presentation.
FEATURED DOCUMENTS
USE THE TIMESTAMPS BELOW TO JUMP TO THE TOPIC YOU WANT TO VIEW
- 2:39–3:30: Today’s Documents
- 3:31–4:24: Art as History
- 4:25–7:40: Major Transformations in 18th-Century Art and History
- 7:41–9:42: The Art of Diplomacy: Benjamin Franklin in France
- 9:43–11:20: Portrait of Franklin
- 11:21–14:28: Terracotta Portrait Bust of Franklin
- 14:29–17:03: Grand Module Portrait of Franklin
- 17:04–19:37: Franklin in the Studio of Houdon
- 19:54–24:15: Franklin’s Early Life and Family
- 24:16– 28:34: Jonathan Williams Sr. and Jonathan Williams Jr.
- 29:01–33:38: Franklin at the Constitutional Convention
- 33:39–35:12: Elizabeth Willing Powel
- 35:13–55:28: Q&A
RELATED RESOURCES
- Essay: “The Early Republic” by Joseph J. Ellis (Mount Holyoke College)
- Essay: “The New Nation, 1783-1815” by Alan Taylor (University of Virginia)
- Lesson Plan: “The Enlightenment, Neo-Classicism, and Houdon” by Sara Charles
- Online Exhibition: “‘We the People’: Printings of the US Constitution in the Gilder Lehrman Collection”
- Spotlight on a Primary Source: “Two Versions of the Preamble to the Constitution”
- Video: “The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin” by H. W. Brands (University of Texas at Austin)
- Video: “Benjamin Franklin: An American Life” by Walter Isaacson (Aspen Institute)
- Video: “Teaching the Constitution” by Larry Kramer (Stanford Law School)