Signing the Declaration of Independence
1903
Despite its famous title, this dramatic scene doesn't actually show the signing of the document! Instead, it captures the moment the Committee of Five—including a towering Thomas Jefferson—presents the draft of the Declaration of Independence to Congress. John Trumbull originally created this Neoclassical masterpiece to immortalize the birth of a nation, and while this 1903 print brings it to a wider audience, the original hangs proudly in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda. Fun fact: Trumbull painted many of these founding fathers from life, but for those who had already passed, he had to rely on old portraits to get their likenesses just right.
Location: United States Capitol
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