Declaration of Independence, July 4th, 1776
Artifact IDTL 2026.1.2
Object Type
Temporary Loan
Date
1876
Artist
John Trumbull
(after) (American painter, 1756 - 1843)
Printer
Waterman Lilly Ormsby
(1809 - 1883)
Place MadeBrooklyn, New York, United States of America
Medium
engraved print
DimensionsOverall H 24 in x W 32 in (61 cm x 81.3 cm)
Physical DescriptionThis engraved print of the presentation of the Declaration of Independence is after the painting by John Trumbull. It depicts the Committee of Five, who stand before a desk with the delegates seated in the background, presenting its draft of the Declaration of Independence before the Second Continental Congress. It was engraved by Waterman Lilly Ormsby, after a print by Asher Brown and engraver Durand. Printed in Brooklyn, New York in 1876.
Historical NoteOur current practice of celebrating the Declaration of Independence began about 50 years after its signing. Thomas Jefferson and John Adams both died on July 4, 1826, leaving Charles Carroll of Carrollton, Maryland, as the last surviving signer. The passing of the founding generation coincided with a period of surging patriotism in the nation, which drove acclaim for the meticulously engraved State Department facsimile of the
Declaration. Prior to such high-quality duplicates, most Americans did not know what the document looked like. Also in 1826, the U.S. Capitol Rotunda received a monumental
painting by John Trumbull that showed the Committee of Five presenting its draft of the Declaration before 42 delegates of the Second Continental Congress. The staging is fictional: the members would never have stood together before the assembly. Fourteen signers are absent from the panorama, while five delegates who did not sign are included. Trumbull prepared the work over a 30-year period, conducting 36 live sittings and, in two instances, using a delegate’s son’s face to render a portrait. Trumbull’s depiction of June 28, 1776, has inaccurately served as the iconic image of the day when the thirteen colonies voted to separate from Great Britain. This is due in part to the title Trumbull gave a smaller version of the painting that hangs in the Yale University Art Gallery, a title shared by the engraving of it from the Declaration’s centennial anniversary shown here. This painting has 58 delegates, one more than the Capitol’s painting. Since the Bicentennial in 1976, the $2 bill has featured an engraving of Trumbull’s painting with only 42 delegates.
Additional DetailsDeclaration. Prior to such high-quality duplicates, most Americans did not know what the document looked like. Also in 1826, the U.S. Capitol Rotunda received a monumental
painting by John Trumbull that showed the Committee of Five presenting its draft of the Declaration before 42 delegates of the Second Continental Congress. The staging is fictional: the members would never have stood together before the assembly. Fourteen signers are absent from the panorama, while five delegates who did not sign are included. Trumbull prepared the work over a 30-year period, conducting 36 live sittings and, in two instances, using a delegate’s son’s face to render a portrait. Trumbull’s depiction of June 28, 1776, has inaccurately served as the iconic image of the day when the thirteen colonies voted to separate from Great Britain. This is due in part to the title Trumbull gave a smaller version of the painting that hangs in the Yale University Art Gallery, a title shared by the engraving of it from the Declaration’s centennial anniversary shown here. This painting has 58 delegates, one more than the Capitol’s painting. Since the Bicentennial in 1976, the $2 bill has featured an engraving of Trumbull’s painting with only 42 delegates.
Credit Lineon loan courtesy of the David M. Rubenstein Americana Collection
National Archives Catalog CollectionJohn F. Kennedy Library Museum Collection (National Archives Identifier 1676934)
National Archives Catalog SeriesPolitical Memorabilia (National Archives Identifier 1677287)
Use Restriction StatusRestricted - FullyUse Restriction NoteThe use of this image and document information is fully restricted. Reproduction in any manner is not allowed.On view