Long before Benjamin Franklin garnered fame as a statesman and diplomat, he was renowned for his revolutionary scientific work, particularly his experiments with lightning and electricity. Working as a printer in Philadelphia during the 1730s, Franklin became fascinated by lightning storms and often related their "mischievous" effects in his newspaper. In 1752, Franklin performed his seminal electrical experiment with a kite, harnessing electricity from the sky, and later that year installed the world's first lightning rods on the Pennsylvania State House and the Pennsylvania Academy. This pitcher is decorated with a depiction of Franklin's kite experiment in an idealized setting more evocative of medieval Europe than 1750s Philadelphia.