Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin, 1899, Bronze
John J. Boyle (American, 1851 – 1917)
#0000.0192.0001
This sculpture is one of the 80 works in Penn’s collection featuring Benjamin Franklin. It is one of the most iconic images of Penn and, located in front of College Hall, has served as a meeting place and a central hub of campus. It was created by John Boyle, an American artist who was descended from Irish stonecutters. When Boyle’s father died, he quit school and worked as a stone carver and studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts with Thomas Eakins. Then, with the money that he had saved, he went to Paris and enrolled in the Ecole des Beaux Arts. He painted portraits in Paris to support himself and also took decorative commissions to London. Boyle worked locally for a number of years in his studio off of Walnut Street. He is also famous for having created American in The Stone Age, a sculpture off of Boat House Row in Philadelphia.
Location: Blanche Levy Park, in front of College Hall, Philadelphia PA
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