c. 1811 “Washington Association of Philadelphia,” Engraved Membership Certificate issued to James Glentworth, Signed by Wm. H. Dillingham as Secretary and T. I. Wharton as 1st Vice President, with a Wreathed Profile Portrait of Washington beneath an Eagle, Designed and Engraved by Gideon Fairman and William Kneass, Framed, Fine.
This ornately Engraved Certificate, framed to 10.75 x 8.75 inches and matted measuring 6.25 x 4.5 inches (by sight), presents a rare miniature oval profile Portrait of George Washington radiating light, set within a wreath topped by an Heraldic Eagle grasping a ribbon inscribed with a July 4th date, and surrounded by emblems including a cannon, drum, coins, and beehive. Below, in flourished copperplate engraved script, the certificate reads: "This is to Certify that James Glentworth is a Member of the Washington Association of Philadelphia," signed in manuscript by Wm. H. Dillingham as Secretary and T. I. Wharton as 1st Vice President. The engraved plate is credited to G. Fairman, designer and W. Kneass, engraver. This rare Certificate presents in good condition, with even age tone and scattered foxing, and is presented under glass in a wood frame.
The “Washington Association of Philadelphia” was an early civic and patriotic organization devoted to commemorating Washington's memory, holding annual orations on both his birthday and the Fourth of July from at least 1811 onward.

The certificate's engravers were both established figures in the Philadelphia engraving trade of this period: Gideon Fairman was a partner in Murray, Draper, Fairman & Co., a leading Philadelphia bank-note and commercial engraving firm, while William Kneass, who ran his own engraving business in the city through the 1820s, went on to serve as the second Chief Engraver of the United States Mint from 1824 until his death in 1840, designing the Classic Head motif used on several American coin denominations.