Listen to article \u2022\u00a00:00 min<\/p>\n
In a historic addition, Independence Mall will soon be home to a sculpture derived from an iconic political cartoon. <\/p>\n
A 46-foot-long sculpture of Benjamin Franklin\u2019s \u201cJoin or Die\u201d snake is set to be unveiled this fall on the Liberty Bell Center block of the Independence Mall, near the corner of Fifth and Chestnut Streets. The sculpture will feature eight pieces that represent segments of the snake\u2019s body. These will be carved out of granite, each marked with the initials of the respective colony it\u2019s meant to represent. <\/p>\n
The political cartoon created by Franklin in 1754 was first published in his newspaper, the Pennsylvania Gazette. Each piece of the snake is meant to represent one of the 13 original colonies, with the cartoon calling for unity among them, particularly during the French and Indian War. <\/p>\n
The Independence Mall sculpture will be installed on the ground, allowing visitors to interact directly with the sculpture.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought it was a great idea to have that on the mall because it\u2019s considered the first political cartoon in the country before we were a country in 1754,\u201d said John Collins, the artist behind the sculpture. \u201cI thought interpreting that into a large sculptural work that still has a playful element to it, that the mall is really lacking in, would be a great addition.\u201d<\/p>\n
Collins, who was an architect for 15 years after graduating from Penn State<\/a>, had first heard of the project in the 2000s while working at landscape architecture and urban design firm OLIN. Founder Laurie Olin had proposed the snake sculpture to be included in an interpretive art program for Independence Mall in 2007, but that part never came to fruition. <\/p>\n \u201cDuring the pandemic I sent an email to Laurie asking if we could try to resuscitate the snake project and he responded within a couple hours,\u201d said Collins, who left OLIN in 2009. \u201cHe said if I put together a proposal with a team and some costs and graphics, we could then shop it around to private donors and try to raise money for it and treat it essentially as a gift to the Park Service.\u201d<\/p>\n This \u201cgift\u201d has come to a total of approximately $3.9 million, with funds raised by Independence Historical Trust<\/a>, the park\u2019s nonprofit fundraising organization. <\/p>\n The sculpture was originally one of several other improvements<\/a> to the park proposed in 2025 to be completed before this year\u2019s Semiquincentennial<\/a>. In July of 2025, the Inquirer reported that the project was short the $1.6 million needed to complete the project by this summer.<\/p>\n