051

  • Declaration of Independence

  • after ca. 1786-1794 painting, ca. 1832
  • After John Trumbull (American 1756-1843) by Illman
    and Pilbrow (firm active ca. 1829-1836)
  • Hand-colored engraving
  • 13.0 x 19.9 cm., 5-1/8 x 7-7/8" image
  • Catherine Carter Goebel, Paul A. Anderson Chair in the Arts Purchase with Gift of Adam J. DeSimone and David A. DeSimone, Paul A. Anderson Art History Collection, Augustana College 2005.19

Essay by Thomas J. Goebel, Assistant Editor, Class of 2008

In 1817, President James Madison was given the authority by the United States Congress to hire an artist to create four paintings for the Rotunda of the Capitol Building in Washington D.C. President Madison designated John Trumbull to carry out this first official art commission awarded by the government. Following much discussion, they settled upon four important events from the American Revolution: The Surrender of General Burgoyne, The Surrender of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown, The Resignation of Washington, and most importantly, The Declaration of Independence.

Trumbull decided that rather than fictionalizing and dramatizing the stories surrounding these events, he would create a straightforward American rendition. The men in the scene were not dressed in elegant clothing fit for a royal ceremony or papal benediction, or even in the classical drapery currently in vogue, they were instead represented in authentic American fashion. The room was decorated in plain, Classic Ionic form, providing the painting with a true sense of American simplicity and realism.

The brave men involved in signing The Declaration of Independence were not depicted as idealized warriors, but as real life farmers and lawyers of the Revolution. The understated heroes, according to Trumbull, were Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and Benjamin Franklin. Jefferson, the tallest member standing in the center of the group, presents the document to the President of the Continental Congress, John Hancock (Jaffe 77-78), who would release it with his signature on July 4, 1776. John Adams, a lawyer from Massachusetts who helped with the drafting, appears to Jefferson's right. Benjamin Franklin, standing to Jefferson's left, is depicted as older and perhaps more weathered than the other members of the Continental Congress.

Trumbull distinguished these men by placing them in the center of the painting. The other forty-seven members of the Continental Congress surround them in parabolic formation, sitting or standing in various groups. There is a mood of somber purpose as they reflect upon the historical significance of this event. Their faces reveal no emotion, suggesting a reverential silence in anticipation of this important moment.

Trumbull's realistic representation was conceived during a time of transition from the propagandistic European tradition to the modern American hero. Trumbull presented his champions as common working men who came together for the greater good rather than for the promotion of any single person. The painting suggests a true sense of republic in the act of many men working together for a common purpose, perhaps the crowning achievement of the Enlightenment.