Collections Online

Benjamin Franklin's brass matrices for casting type

Benjamin Franklin`s brass matrices for casting type Brass type made in France
Image 1 of 1

To order an image, navigate to the full
display and click "request this image"
on the blue toolbar.

Brass type made in France, circa 1740

The smallest (the period) is 4.8 cm x 1 cm and the largest (the W) is 4.8 cm x 2.9 cm.


These brass type matrices (30 pieces in all) were brought from Passy, France by Benjamin Franklin and used in Philadelphia by him and his grandson, Benjamin Franklin Bache, for casting type. Dated circa 1740 by type historian James Moseley, they are most likely the earliest specimens of type matrices that exist in the United States.