This piece uses a printed portrait of Benjamin Franklin as a template for 23 text pieces inspired by his book "The Art of Virtue," which was extracted from his 1784 autobiography and printed in 1955 in connection with"The
Celebration of Printing Week."

The portrait is based on an image I found on Google, a democratic image library beyond Franklin's wildest dreams. Some of the text which accompanies my printed portrait directly quotes from Franklin's book; some of it is my own processing of his rigorous program for self betterment. I consider these images to be "text pieces" because I use the combination of words and my own
handwriting to draw out the neurosis, irony, sweetness, and integrity of Ben's wisdom.