Historic Benjamin Franklin statue returns after year of restoration

"The rapid progress of true science now occasions my regretting that I was born so soon," wrote Benjamin Franklin in a letter to Dr. Joseph Priestley in February 1780. "It is impossible to imagine the height to which science may be carried by students in the next thousand years. Oh the power of man over matter!" Franklin has inspired Vassar's own science students since 1925, when an imposing bronze cast sculpture of the inventor and politician was installed at the entrance of Sanders Physics.

Now, after more than 11 months of intense conservation, the statue has been returned to its pedestal. The monument, restored to its original appearance, was replaced on April 20.

Benjamin Franklin, born in Boston in 1706, was among the most prolific scientists in American history. Over the course of his long life, he developed inventions ranging from a flexible urinary catheter to common reading glasses. He studied weather patterns, electricity, magnetism and fluid motion. In 1750, he published the experiment for which he is most remembered—a proposal to prove lightning was electrical. Franklin's electrical experiments eventually led to his invention of the lightning rod. But despite his solid place in science, his physical place at Vassar has been increasingly unsteady in recent years.

"We realized that Ben could topple over and hurt someone," said Joann Potter, Collections Manager at the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center. "He was weak at the ankles in particular." Because the statue did not belong to the Art Center, it was originally difficult to coordinate and find a comprehensive restoration. "There [was] no clear source of funding for the maintenance of ‘public art' on campus that is not part of the FLLAC's holdings," explained Dean of Planning and Academic Affairs Rachel Kitzinger.

"In this case, the FLLAC staff generously provided the level of expertise to determine what kind of restoring should be done, and they also generously found the funds in their budget to finance the restoration." According to Potter, Kitzinger was instrumental in coordinating the efforts to restore the statue. Although the Art Center could not confirm the exact cost of the project, conservator Abigail Mack noted that similar projects cost in the range of $10,000. "To do a project like this the right way—to be historically accurate and ensure both the structure and aesthetics—involves quite a few people," she explained. "But the finished, properly conserved product is a testament to a lot of hard work."

Potter worked with Mack, a local conservator, to determine the statue's structural and aesthetic issues. Mack had recently been commissioned by the College for another major project—the refurbishment of the bust of Maria Mitchell outside of the newly renovated Old Observatory. She immediately contacted a friend working at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. with expertise in large zinc sculptures. "Not many sculptors choose zinc for outdoor statues anymore, because of how the metal wears over time," explained Potter. "We were lucky to establish contact with a real expert on the best practices for restoring those types of works."

Mack and her team began by overhauling the interior of the statue. "The entire statue was clearly unstable," she explained. "So we did some surgery, installing a stainless steal armature through his ankles and legs. We also cemented the statue onto a newly-crafted secondary base, which will stabilize him."

The work on the statue's exterior was even more significant. Mack's team, based out of a studio in Redhook, N.Y., conducted chemical surface tests to determine the statue's physical history. Before conservation, Franklin's exterior was streaky and pitted. "It was really not terribly attractive," she said. "The white lines and coarse surface really spoiled the look of the piece." Through taking paint samples, Mack was able to determine that the statue was originally painted bronze, before it was covered over with a stone-colored finish. "In the mid-19th century, zinc was a poor man's bronze. That explains the remnants of bronze paint—all the good looks without the costs." Mack's team repainted the statue with in bronze, but in a more weather-resistant material. 

"We conservators usually don't like to change the look of an object so radically as we did with Ben," she noted, "but we felt the bronze coating was justified given the history we discovered."

The statue's worn condition was hardly surprising. In addition to surviving regular exposure to the rain and snow, Vassar students have a long history of playing pranks on the statue. According to long-serving Physics professor Jenny Magnes, it has been climbed on, decorated, painted and even thrown to the bottom of Sunset Lake.

The Franklin statue has a long history at Vassar. Burges Johnson, a Professor of English at the College between 1915 and 1926, had worked for Harper Publishing in the J.P. Morgan building in New York City before entering the teaching profession. Johnson greatly admired a sculpture of Benjamin Franklin that was installed on top of the porte cochere which his office overlooked. When the building was sold in 1916, Johnson asked Morgan if he could have the sculpture. Johnson shipped it to Poughkeepsie and featured the statue prominently in his office, where it remained until 1925. When Johnson retired, he gave it to the College to be placed in front of the newly completed Physics building, where it has resided ever since.

The current inhabitants of Sanders were thrilled to have the statue once again guarding their doors, especially as students begin to picnic on the academic quad in the spring weather. "The ‘new Ben' looks great," exclaimed Senior Lecturer in Physics James Challey. "Franklin was one of the first great American scientists, so we're delighted to have him back where he belongs." Assistant Professor of Physics Jenny Magnes agreed. "There are very few areas of science—really very few areas of human knowledge—that have not been deeply touched by Franklin's work," she said. "He's a role model to students in the sciences, and really to all liberal arts students in a variety of disciplines."