John Trumbull painted the historical scene known as Declaration of Independence.
Trumbull’s oil painting depicts the five-member drafting committee presenting the Declaration of Independence to the Second Continental Congress. He began the work in the late 1810s, and the painting was completed in 1818. It is displayed in the United States Capitol Rotunda.
The image is often mistaken for a literal record of the declaration’s signing. It shows the presentation of the document to Congress, not every delegate signing the parchment at one moment. Trumbull also included 42 figures who were present in the scene and five additional men who were not present at the presentation but were connected with the declaration.
The painting’s familiar composition appears on the reverse of the United States two-dollar bill. Trumbull also painted other Revolutionary War subjects, including scenes involving George Washington and the Battle of Bunker Hill.