Who painted The Spirit of ’76, the patriotic artwork associated with America’s 1876 Centennial?

Archibald Willard painted The Spirit of ’76, the patriotic artwork associated with America’s 1876 Centennial.

Willard was an Ohio artist and a Union veteran of the American Civil War. He developed the painting around 1875 after seeing a patriotic parade in Wellington, Ohio. His father served as the model for the central figure, while local people modeled for the other two figures.

The painting was exhibited at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia in 1876. It was originally called Yankee Doodle, but it later became known as The Spirit of ’76. Reproductions helped spread the image far beyond the original exhibition.

The original is in Abbot Hall in Marblehead, Massachusetts. Numerous later versions exist, so references to “the Spirit of ’76” may describe either Willard’s original or one of its copies.