Jan. 27, 1962 - The first major acquisition in Mrs. Jacqueline Kennedy’s campaign to improve White House art works was announced in Palm Beach, Fla., today. It is a portrait (pictured) of Benjamin Franklin, painted by a Scot, David Martin, in 1767. Its value is said to be about $200,000. The portrait of the most famous Philadelphian was a gift of Mr. and Mrs. Walter H. Annenberg of Philadelphia. Mr. Annenberg is publisher of The Philadelphia Inquirer. David Martin painted the portrait in London from life when Franklin was 60 years old. It shows him seated at a desk, reading a manuscript. A bust of Isaac Newton is nearby to represent the physical sciences.
