From today's featured articleElizabeth Willing Powel (February 21, 1743 – January 17, 1830) was an American socialite and a prominent member of the Philadelphia upper class of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. After the American Revolutionary War, she established a salon of the Republican Court of leading intellectuals and political figures. She corresponded widely, including with the political elite of the time. A close friend to George Washington, she was among those who convinced him to continue for a second term as president. She wrote extensively, but privately, on a wide range of subjects, including politics, the role of women, medicine, education, and philosophy. Powel is said to be the person who asked Benjamin Franklin "What have we got, a republic or a monarchy?", to which he replied "A republic ... if you can keep it"; over time the role played by Powel in this exchange has been all but removed. Hundreds of her letters and several of her portraits survive. (Full article...)
Recently featured:
Did you know ...
|
In the news
On this dayJanuary 17: World Religion Day (2021)
More anniversaries:
|
![]() |
Stitching the Standard is an oil-on-canvas painting by the English painter Edmund Leighton, who specialised in Regency and medieval subjects. Measuring 98 by 44 centimetres (39 by 17 in) and currently in a private collection, this is probably the work listed as The Device by Leighton's biographer Alfred Yockney among the paintings dating from 1911. Leighton's draughtsmanship and attention to detail were meticulous, and his work had a considerable influence on early filmmakers by providing his conception of the medieval world. Painting cr: Edmund Leighton
Recently featured:
|
Wikipedia is hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation, a non-profit organization that also hosts a range of other projects:
This Wikipedia is written in English. Many other Wikipedias are available; some of the largest are listed below.