Silence Dogood Holiday Ornament

Washington DC Gift Shop is proud to present the Silence Dogood Holiday Ornament honoring Benjamin Franklin, writer, printer, political philosopher, politician, Freemason, postmaster, scientist, inventor, humorist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat.

The front side of this ornament features a portrait of Benjamin Franklin done by Jean-Baptiste Greuze, a French painter done in 1777. It was described by a unknown French writer:

The portrait of Franklin is especially notable. It would be difficult expression. We there see kindliness happily allied to high spirit; an equal love for humanity and hatred of tyranny.

The reverse side is has a selected quote from Benjamin Franklin’s pen name Silence Dogood, recently made famous in the movie National Treasure where they were used to help decode a secret message. The real story goes that The New-England Courant, a newspaper founded and published by Franklin’s brother James rejected all letters in Ben’s name. So young Franklin came up with a plan to pretend that he was a middle aged widow.

Being still a Boy, and suspecting that my Brother would object to printing any Thing of mine in his Paper if he knew it to be mine, I contrived to disguise my Hand, and writing an anonymous Paper I put it in at Night under the Door of the Printing House.

Ben Franklin’s fictional character was an instant hit with the people of Boston. In in the widow’s 8th letter, Silence Dogood discusses the idea of rights of citizens of a government, particularly the ideas of Freedom of Press and Freedom of Speech 54 years before the birth of the United States.

Without Freedom of Thought, there can be no such Thing as Wisdom; and no such Thing as public Liberty, without Freedom of Speech

Franklin would later use his skills at creating fiction in publishing 141 propaganda articles against the British under various pseudonyms between 1758 and 1775. He also helped form America’s first foreign intelligence agency.

This is the first in our series of ornaments manufactured in the Washington DC area to help businesses affected to by the Covid-19 pandemic shutdown. The price reflects the original 13 colonies and the 50 states today. We hope you enjoy this ornament as much as we do.