John Trumbull painted the Declaration of Independence scene displayed in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda for America250 visitors.
Trumbull’s large oil painting, usually called Declaration of Independence, depicts the Committee of Five presenting the draft document to the Second Continental Congress. He began the work in the early 19th century, and the finished painting was purchased by the United States government in 1819.
The painting is not a literal record of the document’s signing. It shows a symbolic presentation of the draft, and not all 56 signers appear in the room. Trumbull used portraits and other evidence to represent many of the participants, but the composition was designed as a historical image rather than a photographic scene.
The work hangs in the Rotunda of the United States Capitol and appears on the back of the two-dollar bill. Its presence makes it one of the most recognizable visual interpretations of the event commemorated by America250.