James Lucas Profile picture
Nov 3, 2024 10 tweets 4 min read Read on X
Squirrels have been kept as pets since antiquity, becoming especially popular during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance — a trend that lasted until the early 19th century.

Benjamin Franklin even wrote an elegy in memory of a friend’s fallen pet squirrel — a thread 🧵 John Singleton Copley, A Boy with a Flying Squirrel, 1765.
Squirrels were popular household pets, particularly among children, in 18th- and 19th-century America.

They were so beloved that in 1772, Benjamin Franklin wrote an elegy for the beloved squirrel of his friend Georgiana Shipley... Portrait of a Lady with a Squirrel and a Starling by Hans Holbein the Younger
While on a diplomatic journey in Europe, Franklin brought along a gray squirrel, which he later gifted to Georgiana, the young daughter of a friend.

The squirrel, named Mungo, became a beloved pet and companion of the girl and her family. Image
A few years later, Mungo got out of the house and was sadly killed by a shepherd's dog.

When Franklin learned of Mungo's passing, he penned a letter of condolence to Georgiana, lamenting the premature loss of her cherished companion... Portrait of a Woman with a Squirrel, Francesco Montemezzano (attributed to) 1565
Franklin celebrated the life of the transatlantic rodent with the following words:

"I lament with you most sincerely the unfortunate end of poor Mungo: Few squirrels were better accomplish’d; for he had had a good education, had traveled far, and seen much of the world." Bartolommeo Traballesi's portrait of a lady, possibly Maddalena Salvetti (1557-1610), three-quarter-length, in a green dress and pearls, standing by a draped table, with a pet squirrel.
In his letter, Franklin commemorated Mungo's life with a moving elegy titled:

"On the Loss of Her American Squirrel, who, Escaping from His Cage, was Killed by a Shepherd’s Dog." Detail of John Singleton Copley, A Boy with a Flying Squirrel (Henry Pelham), 1765.
Following the loss of Mungo in September 1772, Franklin reached out to Georgiana with a kind proposal:

"If you wish it, I shall procure another to succeed him."

Georgiana accepted the offer, and Franklin sent another gray squirrel that thrived and lived a long life. Image
In a letter dated May 1779, Georgiana fondly updated Franklin on the new squirrel:

"The American Squirrel is still living and much caress’d; poor fellow! He is grown quite old and has lost his eye-sight, but nevertheless preserves his spirits and wonted activity." Detail of John Singleton Copley, Daniel Crommelin Verplanck, 1771
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From Benjamin Franklin to Georgiana Shipley, 26 September 1772 Image

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