Franklin, Benjamin "The Art of Making Money Plenty in Every Man's Pocket: By Dr. Franklin"

Benjamin Franklin. "The Art of Making Money Plenty in Every Man's Pocket: by Doctor Franklin".  

New York: A. Lay, ca. 1820. 11 1/4 x 7 1/2. Engraving by Peter Maverick. Engraved portrait after C.N. Cochin [with fur hat]. Laid paper. Narrow margins. Several repaired tears with three into the image. Corners slightly chipped. Otherwise, good condition.

Franklin created the design of this print.  The portrait of Franklin in the print is after artist Cochin.

A well known and humorous print, or rebus, represents visually Franklin's teachings that honesty, industry, and frugality are the keys to wealth. This rebus was first published in 1791 and continued to be issued throughout the 19th century. A rebus, Latin meaning "By things," is a word puzzle which uses pictures to represent words, parts of words, or sounds of words. This rebus was originally published and engraved by Peter Maverick (1780-1831) in 1817. Not long after Maverick published his print, Lay acquired the plate and replaced his name as publisher. One of the earliest versions of this rebus one can obtain and engraved by one of the best American engravers at the time.