Our Collection

At the Institute’s core is the Gilder Lehrman Collection, one of the great archives in American history. More than 85,000 items cover five hundred years of American history, from Columbus’s 1493 letter describing the New World through the end of the twentieth century.

Franklin, Benjamin (1706-1790) to John Jay re: Jean-Antoine Hudon and bust of George Washington

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC07558 Author/Creator: Franklin, Benjamin (1706-1790) Place Written: Philadelphia Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 1785/10/26 Pagination: 2 p. + doc 25.4 x 18.3 cm Order a Copy

"To take the bust of General Washington, in order to make his statue for that state [i.e., Virginia]... he is of the first reputation in his profession, and has a great share of the ambition I admire in an artist."

Signer of the U.S. Constitution.

Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-1790
Jay, John, 1745-1829

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