Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World
The Visitor Experience
There’s a lot more to Benjamin Franklin than you might think, and a lot more to this exhibition than you might expect! Learn how ambition, curiosity and an inventive spirit inspired Franklin to better himself as a printer, a citizen, and an international diplomat as you tour Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World. Meet the young Franklin in his native Boston and travel with him to Philadelphia, London, and Paris. This lively exhibition is divided into six sections, each with original artifacts, authentic re-created settings, and engaging hands-on activities:
Introduction: Meet Benjamin Franklin and his family-friendly sidekick Skuggs the squirrel. An activity guide, featuring Skuggs, is available free-of-charge for families with younger children.
Character Matters: 1706–1723 features the young Franklin in the Boston of his youth. Franklin was profoundly affected by his upbringing in early 18th-century Boston, where he was steeped in Puritan teachings and received his training as a printer.
Highlights of this section include original copies of books known to have been in Franklin’s personal library, an animation illustrating the story of Franklin and his whistle, and Seeking Opportunity, a computer interactive where you encounter the choices and challenges Franklin faced on his way to Philadelphia, to see how you might fare as an underage runaway in the 18th century.
B. Franklin, Printer: 1723–1748 showcases Franklin’s entrepreneurial career as Philadelphia’s premier printer, as well as family life at his Market Street home. After arriving in Philadelphia in 1723, Franklin expanded his network of personal and professional acquaintances and advanced his publishing business, becoming a wealthy man by the time he was 42. Franklin also diligently pursued his own self-improvement. This section features Franklin’s original printing equipment paired with hands-on activities and multimedia experiences, including a virtual printing press, a chance to make your own counterfeit-thwarting leaf etching, and a touch-cart with everyday objects of the time. In addition, the stories of Franklin’s family––Deborah, William, Sally and little Franky––unfamiliar to many, are recounted, alongside portraits and furnishings from their home. Meet Franklin’s alter egos Silence Dogood and Poor Richard, and match up some of Franklin’s famous sayings.
From self-improvement, Franklin turned his attention to improving the community around him, asking himself, “What good shall I do this day?” Civic Visions: 1731–1751 displays Franklin’s collaborative approach to community action, including his role in founding many of Philadelphia’s key philanthropic, educational and civic institutions, several of which continue today. Highlights of this section include an original fire mark from the Philadelphia Contributionship, the colonies’ first insurance company, tickets for the lottery Franklin sold to raise money to establish a militia, and a book plate from the Library Company of Philadelphia, the nation’s first lending library and Franklin’s “first project of a public nature.”
Having made enough money to retire from active business at the age of 42, Franklin devoted the next part of his life to the search for Useful Knowledge: 1747–1785. In this section, visitors can explore Franklin’s diverse scientific interests, including his seminal work on the properties of electricity, and his concern with finding practical applications for his scientific discoveries. An array of scientific instruments used by Franklin and the most famous scientists of his day will be on display. Highlights include Franklin’s “battery” of Leyden Jars, used in his experiments with electricity, the fossilized Mastodon tooth he owned, and the top portion of a lightning rod. Climb aboard a 25-foot ship environment to look for the Gulf Stream, one of Franklin’s many areas of scientific research. A DMNS-exclusive touch-cart let’s you generate your own electricity and investigate many of the scientific problems that intrigued Franklin.
World Stage: 1744–1787 illustrates Franklin’s political career in colonial Pennsylvania, his years as a colonial agent in London, his diplomacy in France and his role as America’s elder statesman. At 79, while suffering from gout, Franklin deftly re-entered the Philadelphia political scene, became president of the Pennsylvania Assembly and served in the Constitutional Convention. At the very end of his life, Franklin espoused a new cause—the abolition of slavery. This section of the exhibition includes original copies of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, and covers the time in Franklin’s life when all his worlds—literature, science, politics, diplomacy and his fascination with the material world—converged at a critical time in modern history. Highlights include a glass armonica, an instrument Franklin invented, a portrait bust of Franklin by Jean Antoine Houdon, and a touch-cart and activity where you get a chance to weigh in on the issues facing our founding fathers.
The last section, Seeing Franklin: 1787–Today examines Franklin’s assessment of his life. Highlights include Franklin’s Autobiography with original versions of early translations, the last life-portrait of Franklin and his epitaph. Images of Franklin from the 19th and 20th centuries are combined with quotations from Franklin and a Nobel Laureate who was profoundly influenced by him. The final exhibit is a huge pair of spectacles set atop enormous, leather-bound books. The lenses reveal Franklin wearing his fur cap, a composite image made from hundreds of tiles. These tilt to reflect an image of the visitor, who is asked “Do You See Yourself in Franklin?”
Exclusive Denver additions to the exhibition include the opportunity to
- interact with actors in period clothing posing as “Franklin’s neighbors” and learn about life in colonial and early-American times.
- play with a “busybody,” an invention often attributed to Franklin, to see who’s knocking at the front door, then go around the corner to learn about the lightning rod.
- get a handle on everyday colonial life by holding inking balls, trying on an old-style pair of bifocals, seeing a real piece of colonial money, and figuring out how you would use leaves to help make money less susceptible to counterfeiting.
- learn how to make your own Leyden Jar, a component of the early battery invented by Franklin. Experiment with electricity and make your hair stand on end. |
- weigh in on the critical issues facing the founding fathers and learn about the historical documents that helped shape America.
- learn about Franklin’s fitness advocacy. Try on a pair of Franklin’s swim fins, and see how they compare to modern flippers and those in the animal world.
- leave a message for the future—what do you think the major discoveries, inventions, and social changes will be in the next 300 years? Your message will be permanently archived in a 300-year time capsule in the Museum’s collections.
- put YOUR face on the $100 bill next to Franklin’s for a fun photo opportunity.
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DMNS-06-79
