This essay attempts to explain the underlying reasons for a fundamental shift in Benjamin Franklin's pictorial representations of the British colonies in America, by exploring the hypothesis the “Magna Britannia” was both a deliberative work directed to the British Parliament and an apologetic work directed to a conservative segment of the colonial public. Although the rhetorical tradition originates in the study of public speeches about civic matters, this analysis of “Magna Britannia” illustrates how concepts from the rhetorical tradition can illuminate pictorial persuasion, so contributing to a growing body of literature that explores the interdisciplineary value of the rhetorical tradition.
Benjamin Franklin's pictorial representations of the British colonies in America: A study in rhetorical iconology
Reprints and Corporate Permissions
Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?
To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:
Academic Permissions
Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?
Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:
If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.
Related Research Data
Related research
People also read lists articles that other readers of this article have read.
Recommended articles lists articles that we recommend and is powered by our AI driven recommendation engine.
Cited by lists all citing articles based on Crossref citations.
Articles with the Crossref icon will open in a new tab.