Franklin-Bache Papers, American Philosophical Society

Table of contents

Abstract

Containing over 4 linear feet of letters and documents, the Franklin-Bache Papers comprises the second largest collection of letters and documents relating to Benjamin Franklin in the APS Library. Although the scope of the collection is broad, including materials from the time of Franklin's arrival in Philadelphia to his death, the heart of the collection documents the period of Franklin's ministry in France (1776-1785) and his diplomatic efforts to win financial and military support for the revolutionary cause, as well as less intensive coverage of his ministry in England before the Revolution.

Franklin's correspondence with American and French officials, financiers (personal and otherwise), and savants provides tantalizing details on the social context of Franklin's ministry in France, his intellectual life, and his growing celebrity. Much of the correspondence documents the efforts to convince French officials early in the war to support the American cause, but there is valuable material relating to the peace negotiations as well. The collection is equally rich in personal correspondence, including a rich set of letters from Mary Stevenson Hewson, Georgiana Shipley, Catherine Ray Greene, Jane Mecom, Deborah Franklin, and a number of Franklin's other relatives. The collection is arranged chronologically.

Background note
Scope & content
Administrative information
Additional information
- Separated material
Added entries
Contact information
Collection inventory
- Franklin-Bache Papers, 1707-1799

Scope and content

Franklin's correspondence with American and French officials, financiers (personal and otherwise), and savants provides tantalizing details on the social context of Franklin's ministry in France, his intellectual life, and his growing celebrity. Much of the correspondence documents the efforts to convince French officials early in the war to support the American cause, but there is valuable material relating to the peace negotiations as well. Particularly interesting are the numerous letters of instruction from Congress and from individuals such as Arthur Lee, Silas Deane, Robert Morris, Robert R. Livingston, and Henry Laurens. Other correspondents, notably Richard Bache and Francis Hopkinson, kept Franklin apprised of news and public opinion in America or, like Thomas Paine and Richard Price, offer insights into political currents more generally.

The personal side of Franklin's correspondence, as much as it might be considered separate from the political, is equally revealing. The collection includes numerous letters with Franklin's many female admirers and friends, including Georgiana Shipley (a cousin of the Duchess of Devonshire) and his long-time confidante Catharine Ray Greene. In the years flanking Franklin's residence in France, there is a particularly extensive set of letters from Mary Stevenson Hewson, that flesh out his experiences in London during the 1760s and early 1770s, and some valuable family letters. The earliest materials (prior to 1752) consist largely of deeds and other documents relating to the Read family, along with three letters from Franklin's mother-in-law Sarah White Read, and one from his mother, Abiah, which join approximately 30 letters between Franklin and his wife Deborah and over 70 from his sister Jane Mecom. Other family members, including his son William and grandsons Benjamin Franklin Bache and William Temple Franklin, appear.

The Franklin-Bache Papers are somewhat less rich in material relating to Franklin's scientific and intellectual pursuits, however there are excellent letters from scientific correspondents such as Joseph Priestley, the comte de Buffon, and Joseph Banks. Other miscellaneous items of interest include Franklin's pencil sketch of his garden at Passy (March 27, 1782), the drawing of pleasure boats on the Delaware River, and a profile of Franklin (after the Nini medallion) sent by Isidoro Bianchi that was drawn with electricity.

When acquired, the collection includes a number of important bound volumes, which are listed separately under the Franklin miscellaneous collections.

Administrative information

Restrictions

None.

Provenance

The Franklin-Bache Papers were acquired from Mr. and Mrs. Franklin Bache in 1937.

Preferred citation

Cite as: Franklin-Bache Papers, American Philosophical Society.

Processing information

Recatalogued rsc, 2003.

Additional information

Separated material

Oversized items are housed at the end of the collection; extra-oversize materials are housed separately.