Lot 567: Benjamin Rush & 7 Others, signed Library Co. of Philadelphia Document

Autograph of Declaration of Independence signer and “Father of American Medicine” Dr. Benjamin Rush (1746-1813) on a signed document authorizing payment of forty shillings to Josiah Hewes “for two years taking the Independent Gazette for the Library Company of Philadelphia.” Dated 1793. Signed by Rush and seven others, presumably shareholders of the LCP, including Samuel Coates (treasurer); Josiah Hewes (signed twice); John Kaighn, Joseph Paschall; Thomas Parke, William Rawle (chancellor)  and Mordecai Lewis. Sheet: approx. 8 in. x 6 in. Mounted to green mat under glass along with a printed portrait of Rush, in a molded wooden frame measuring 12 in. square. Note: Founded by Benjamin Franklin in 1731, the Library Company of Philadelphia was an intellectual hub for the men who shaped the American Revolution, including Rush. It is generally recognized as America’s first successful “public” (subscription) library.  Source: The American Library Association. Prominent Philadelphia doctor Benjamin Rush served as Surgeon General of the Middle Department of the Continental Army, was a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, and  founded Dickinson College. He promoted public health through personal and military hygiene, published the first American textbook on chemistry, and was an early researcher of mental disorders. In 1965, the American Psychiatric Association recognized him as the “Father of American Psychiatry.” He represented Pennsylvania in the Continental Congress. 

PROVENANCE: The estate of Annette Eskind, Nashville, TN. 

CONDITION: Document not examined out of frame but likely adhered to backing. Losses to corner and right edge. Light toning and creasing to paper and fading to ink. A good, bold example of Rush’s signature.