Dr. Ben Franklin, yes Benjamin Franklin, wrote a little piece called “The Art of Making Money Plenty in Everyman’s Pocket.”  He was quite the jack of all trades, and knowledge.

 

Like the Quaker merchants he learned from in Philadelphia, Benjamin Franklin held the belief that the comforts of life would come from industry, frugality and virtue

 

from graphic granola’s website:

by Benjamin Franklin
(Published 1791)

At this time when the general complaint is that money is so scarce it must be an act of kindness to inform the moneyless how they can reinforce their pockets. I will acquaint all with the true secret of money catching, the certain way to fill empty purses and how to keep them always full. Two simple rules well observed will do the business:

1st. Let honesty and labor be thy constant companions;
2nd. Spend one penny every day less than thy clear gains.


Then shall thy pockets soon begin to thrive, thy creditors will never insult thee, nor want oppress, nor hunger bite, nor nakedness freeze thee. The whole hemisphere will shine brighter, and pleasure spring up in every corner of thy heart.

Now thereby embrace these rules and be Happy.


“The refusal of King George III to allow the colonies to operate an honest money system, which freed the ordinary man from the clutches of the money manipulators, was probably the prime cause of the Revolution.”
– Benjamin Franklin (Founding Father of the United States)


 

 

The first picture is “time” (represented by Father Time).

 

 

 

The second figure is a hen, with the letter “w” in front of it, which makes the word “then.”
The third picture is “general” (represented by an Army General).
The fourth figure is a hat, with the letter “t” in front of it, which makes the word “that.”
And so on.

 

 

Note: Several of the pictures are quite tricky, because the words they represent are no longer in common usage. For example, the third line shows two pictures of trees: the first is a “yew” tree (which stands for the word “you”), and the second is a “rue” tree (which, combined with the letter “t” makes the word “true”).

 

 

 

6 Responses to THE ART OF MAKING MONEY PLENTY

  1. linda perez says:

    i have a copy of this print.it was found in an old barn.has water damage. would like to know where i can find a copy of this.can anyone help me w/info. thnx.

  2. D.K. says:

    I found mine at Goodwill. It’s intact with the nice drawn edge. My problem is that I want to now more about it.

  3. samElla says:

    I have,The Art Of Making Money Plenty it look very old.It has a number 5 on the Back can you tell me if its original an how many where made .

  4. Ruth White says:

    Some 20 yrs ago my son found this picture in the trash. Does anyone know anything bout this picture? Its printed on some kind of board. Anyone know wat its worth?

  5. Went to the Flea Market today. The dimensions of my copy are 12″x 16″. It is in an old wooden frame but it has certainly had its better days. Am I rich ?

  6. Norma spratlin says:

    I have a framed….printed on a board….good condition….of b. franklins …the art of making money plenty…approx….11/14 wooden frame…no marks on back of print…colored print

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