Trumbull's Declaration of Independence
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| Declaration of Independence |
| John Trumbull, commissioned 1817; purchased 1819; placed 1826 in the Rotunda |
| Oil-on-canvas |
| 365.76 × 548.64 cm, 144 × 216 in |
| United States Capitol, Washington, D.C., United States |
John Trumbull's Declaration of Independence is a 12- by 1-foot oil-on-canvas in the United States Capitol Rotunda which depicts the presentation of the draft of the United States Declaration of Independence to Congress. It was based on a much smaller version of the same scene, presently held in the Yale University art collection.[1] Ironically the flags of Great Britain are also seen in the background.
Trumbull painted many of the figures in the picture from life and visited Independence Hall as well to depict the room in which the Second Continental Congress met.
The painting is often mistakenly called the "Signing of the Declaration of Independence," but only shows the presentation of the draft. While this event did take place, it was not actually in the presence of all the people in the picture.
The oil-on-canvas work was commissioned in 1817; purchased 1819; and placed in 1826 in the Rotunda.
Thomas Jefferson seems to be stepping on the foot of John Adams in the painting, which many think is supposed to symbolize their relationship as political enemies. However, upon closer examination of the painting, it can be seen that their feet are merely close together. This part of the image was correctly depicted on the United States two-dollar bill version.
Trumbull's work shows 42 of the 56 signers of the Declaration, and five figures in the painting did not sign.
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[edit] Unpictured signers
There were 14 signers of the Declaration who did not appear in the painting:
- Matthew Thornton (New Hampshire)
- John Hart (New Jersey)
- John Morton (Pennsylvania)
- James Smith (Pennsylvania)
- George Taylor (Pennsylvania)
- George Ross (Pennsylvania)
- Caesar Rodney (Delaware)
- Thomas Stone (Maryland)
- Thomas Nelson Jr. (Virginia)
- Francis Lightfoot Lee (Virginia)
- Carter Braxton (Virginia)
- John Penn (North Carolina)
- Button Gwinnett (Georgia)
- Lyman Hall (Georgia)
[edit] On the two-dollar bill
Trumbull's painting is the source of the picture on the reverse of the two-dollar bill, which cuts out the farthest four figures on the left (George Wythe, William Whipple, Josiah Bartlett and Thomas Lynch); the farthest two figures on the right (Thomas McKean and Philip Livingston); and seated in the left rear, George Walton. The bill features 40 of the 47 figures from Trumbull's painting. Two other unknown figures are superimposed in the engraving in between Samuel Chase and Lewis Morris and between James Wilson and Francis Hopkinson, bringing the total number of figures on the reverse of the two-dollar bill to 42.
[edit] Key to historical figures depicted in the painting
The following key to the figures in the painting follows the numbering used by the U.S. Government publication "Art of the Capitol" (in the illustration of the key shown in this section) but provides a different (hopefully clearer) description of which figure is where in the painting, so numbers are not entirely in order.
Key to figures ("left" and "right" are the viewer's "left" and "right"; in each group, listed from left to right):
Four men seated on the far left:
- 1. George Wythe
- 2. William Whipple
- 3. Josiah Bartlett
- 5. Thomas Lynch, Jr.
Seated at the table on the left:
Seated together to the right of Harrison and in front of the standing figures:
- 6. Richard Henry Lee
- 7. Samuel Adams
- 8. George Clinton
Five figures standing together on the left:
- 9. William Paca
- 10. Samuel Chase
- 11. Lewis Morris
- 12. William Floyd
- 13. Arthur Middleton
Three seated figures in the back between the two sets of standing figures:
Set of three figures standing together in the back:
- 23. Stephen Hopkins (wearing a hat)
- 24. William Ellery
- 25. George Clymer
Ten figures seated:
- 17. Robert Morris (first on the left at the table)
- 18. Thomas Willing
- 19. Benjamin Rush
- 20. Elbridge Gerry
- 21. Robert Treat Paine
- 22. Abraham Clark
- 26. William Hooper
- 27. Joseph Hewes
- 28. James Wilson
- 29. Francis Hopkinson
Five figures standing in front:
- 30. John Adams
- 31. Roger Sherman
- 32. Robert R. Livingston
- 33. Thomas Jefferson
- 34. Benjamin Franklin
Four background figures seated together near the right corner of the room:
- 35. Richard Stockton
- 36. Francis Lewis
- 37. John Witherspoon
- 38. Samuel Huntington
Two figures standing in the right corner of the room:
- 39. William Williams
- 40. Oliver Wolcott
Two foreground figures at the central table:
- 42. Charles Thomson (standing)
- 41. John Hancock (seated)
Three figures standing at right:
- 43. George Read
- 44. John Dickinson
- 45. Edward Rutledge
Two figures seated at far right:
- 46. Thomas McKean
- 47. Philip Livingston
[edit] Similar paintings
Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States by Howard Chandler Christy, is a similar painting depicting members of the Constitutional Convention. Painted in the Twentieth century, the work is also located in the U.S. Capitol.
[edit] Footnotes
[edit] External links
[edit] Keys to the figures
- One (very hard to read) key to the figures
- another key
- "Declaration of Independence" Flash - based key
