Mezzotint engraving on laid paper, image approximately 10 x 12.5 in., matted and framed to 16.5 x 20 in. overall. Signed in the plate at lower right “Faber,” with engraved facsimile signature “Benjn. Rush” at center and a vignette of a classical building at lower left.
A handsome period mezzotint portrait of Dr. Benjamin Rush (1746–1813), physician, educator, humanitarian, and signer of the Declaration of Independence from Pennsylvania. Rush was among the most distinguished figures of the Revolutionary era, serving as a physician to the Continental Army and as a social reformer advocating for education and the abolition of slavery.
The engraving, an image derived from a period oil portrait, possibly by Charles Willson Peale or one of his contemporaries.
Very good overall with even toning, a few faint foxing spots, and mild mat burn from previous framing; rich, dark impression with strong plate tone. Period frame with expected age wear.
Benjamin Rush (January 4, 1746 – April 19, 1813) was an American revolutionary, a Founding Father of the United States and signatory to the U.S. Declaration of Independence, and a civic leader in Philadelphia, where he was a physician, politician, social reformer, humanitarian, educator, and the founder of Dickinson College. Rush was a Pennsylvania delegate to the Continental Congress. He later described his efforts in support of the American Revolution, saying: "He aimed well." He served as Surgeon General of the Middle Department of the Continental Army and became a professor of chemistry, medical theory, and clinical practice at the University of Pennsylvania.
With One of a Kind Collectibles LOA.