The United States First Ambassador

I have seen similar ones to what you describe, before. It sounds like a PRINT and the Copyright is the printer / printing company. The date would be when it was produced. The trick would be to do some research on the artist, to see if you can get his history and possibly where the original painting is hanging. You can look up Ben Franklin's history to find out when he was the ambassador (not being a US citizen, I didn't take enough US history in school to know that answer. sorry. but a quick google should tell you!) Also you will likely be able to tell how early in his Ambassadorial career it was. Finally do some research on MF Abelest of London to find out that history (again google is a good start). Who are they, are they still in business (if so contact them and ask about the print! they can tell you things like how many were made!) Does the print have an other numbers or signatures on it? Something to indicate a limited print? Once you have that (it's great info to keep with the print, makes it worth more!) then I'd find a museum or group that specializes in Franklin's history. Usually you will find them in the community they lived in when they died, etc. as the house becomes a historic site. They will probably have a good idea of the different sorts of paintings and prints that exist and could probably tell you how common this one is. It's worth the effort. To give you an idea; I don't do a lot of prints and paintings, but I found one of a train engine by Fogg. During the research of it, I ended up finding a friend of his who studied under him before he died. I learned that generally, the prints are worth about $100, but mine is a bit special. It was modified from the original by a professional, likely for a train manager/president's office. Makes the print worth a lot more than the unmodified print! Some prints were done in low numbers, or simply don't have many copies in existence any longer. You may find yours is one of these, and therefore somewhat valuable! It's fun looking for the info too! Good Luck! Garry