Franklin, Benjamin

Engraved broadside document signed ("B. Franklin") as President of the American Philosophical Society, on laid Whatman paper (19 1/8 x 11 3/8 in.; 484 x 288 mm), Philadelphia, 19 January 1787, being William Barton's certificate of membership in the APS, accomplished in a clerical hand, countersigned by Society Vice Presidents William White, David Rittenhouse, and John Ewing and by Society Secretaries James Hutchinson, Robert Patterson, Samuel Magaw, and John Foulke, embossed paper seal of the Society suspended from the certificate by original light blue silk ribbon; pinholes at intersecting folds, some light browning, paper seal quite browned, tiny mounting remnants on verso.

Engraved broadside document signed ("B. Franklin") as President of the American Philosophical Society, on laid Whatman paper (19 1/8 x 11 3/8 in.; 484 x 288 mm), Philadelphia, 19 January 1787, being William Barton's certificate of membership in the APS, accomplished in a clerical hand, countersigned by Society Vice Presidents William White, David Rittenhouse, and John Ewing and by Society Secretaries James Hutchinson, Robert Patterson, Samuel Magaw, and John Foulke, embossed paper seal of the Society suspended from the certificate by original light blue silk ribbon; pinholes at intersecting folds, some light browning, paper seal quite browned, tiny mounting remnants on verso.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The American Philosophical Society membership certificate for William Barton, the designer of the of the Great Seal of the United States, countersigned by David Rittenhouse, his uncle.

The older brother of Benjamin Smith Barton, William Barton was a prominent Pennsylvania lawyer and man of letters. He had studied heraldry while in London, and, in 1782, Barton collaborated with Charles Thomson on the final design of the Great Seal of the United States. Barton was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 1787. He is best remembered today for his still-indispensible biography of his uncle, Memoirs of the Life of David Rittenhouse (Philadelphia, 1813).