Crehen, Charles G. after Fredericks "Benjamin Franklin."

Charles G. Crehen after Fredericks. "Benjamin Franklin."

New York: William Schaus, ca. 1855. Lithographed by C.G. Crehen. Printed by J.H. Bufford, Boston. Tinted lithograph. 25 1/2 x 19 1/4. Expertly repaired tears (2) in margins, else, very good condition.  

A large bust portrait of Franklin drawn by Charles G. Crehen after a portrait by Fredericks. The print is part of a series of portraits of eminent Americans published by William Schaus. Schaus in 1847 was sent to New York by the Paris firm of Goupil, Vibert & Co. as their American agent, but in 1850 he set up on his own as a print publisher. As one of his first projects he intended to issue twelve portraits a year in a series called the "Illustrious Americans," which was to include Daniel Webster, General Lafayette, and Benjamin Franklin. The lithographic artist, Charles Crehen, was a Frenchman who immigrated to the United States in 1850. Crehen worked as an artist in many different cities around the country and was particularly known for his portraits. In the Schaus series, Crehen produced larger-than-life drawings on stone based on extant images, and these were printed as tinted lithographs by J.H. Bufford of Boston. This striking portrait is typical of the series, with an imposing yet humane bust image of Franklin.