The Declaration Depicted in the U.S. Capitol

Two hundred and fifty years ago, the Declaration of Independence was drafted, officially adopted, and signed by the Second Continental Congress. Perhaps our country's most famous document, the Declaration of Independence laid out the Founding Fathers' guiding principles for the United States of America and marked the birth of our new nation.

Below are five famous depictions featuring the Declaration found in the U.S. Capitol.

One of John Trumbull's four Revolutionary-era paintings displayed in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda depicts the first draft of the Declaration of Independence being presented to the Second Continental Congress on June 28, 1776.

The painting, which measures 12 feet by 18 feet, was commissioned by Congress in 1817 and installed in the Rotunda in 1826. In 1976, in celebration of the nation's 200th anniversary, an engraving of Trumbull’s painting was added to the back of the two-dollar bill.

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Also located in the Rotunda is the Frieze of American History, a panoramic depiction of 19 historic scenes from Columbus's landing to the Wright brothers' first flight. The frieze was originally designed by Constantino Brumidi, who painted a variety of murals throughout the U.S. Capitol Building over a period of 25 years.

After Brumidi's death in 1880, Filippo Costaggini was selected to continue work on the frieze using Brumidi's sketches. One of the scenes Costaggini painted depicts John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin reading the Declaration of Independence to colonists.

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"The Declaration of Independence, 1776" by Allyn Cox

Three corridors on the first floor of the U.S. Capitol's House wing are lined with murals by Allyn Cox, who worked in the U.S. Capitol from 1952-1972. The central east-west corridor, known as the Great Experiment Hall, depicts major legislative milestones throughout America's history, from the signing of the Mayflower Compact through the women's suffrage movement.

One mural in the series depicts Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, Thomas Jefferson, Robert Livingston and John Adams drafting the Declaration of Independence.

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The bronze doors located at the east portico entrance of the House wing were designed by sculptor Thomas Crawford, who also designed the Statue of Freedom atop the Capitol Dome. The doors each have multiple panels depicting significant events in American history.

The top panel on the right door depicts the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence, which took place on July 8, 1776, in Philadelphia. Though Crawford designed the House doors from 1855-1857, they were not installed until 1905.  

The first full-length portrait statue placed in the U.S. Capitol Building is this bronze statue of Thomas Jefferson, who is credited as the primary author of the Declaration of Independence. The statue, which was commissioned by naval officer Uriah P. Levy and sculpted by Pierre-Jean David d'Angers, depicts Jefferson holding the Declaration of Independence in his left hand and a quill in his right.

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The Thomas Jefferson portrait statue by David d'Angers.

Photo by

Thomas Hatzenbuhler

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The statue was originally placed in the Rotunda in 1834. Though it has been displayed in various locations throughout the years, including on the grounds of the White House, it returned to the Capitol Rotunda in 1900 and has remained here ever since.