John Trumbull painted the famous Declaration of Independence scene displayed in the U.S. Capitol.
Trumbull’s oil painting, usually called Declaration of Independence, was commissioned by Congress in 1817 and purchased in 1819. It hangs in the United States Capitol Rotunda, where it has shaped popular images of the founding era for generations.
The scene is often described as the signing of the Declaration, but that description is inaccurate. The painting shows the five-member drafting committee presenting its document to the Second Continental Congress on June 28, 1776. The formal signing of the engrossed parchment occurred later, primarily on August 2.
Trumbull intended to portray all 56 signers but included 42 figures in the final composition. Some people had died before he could obtain portraits, and the membership of Congress changed during the process. The painting also appears in adapted form on the reverse of the modern two-dollar bill.