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The Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776

Engraver Waterman Lilly Ormsby American
After John Trumbull American
1876
Not on view
Though restrained in feeling, this print describes a profound revolutionary moment. It affirms the right of the original thirteen American colonies to separate from Great Britain—an unprecedented challenge to royal authority. The title is slightly misleading since what we actually witness is the drafters of the Declaration of Independence—John Adams, Roger Sherman, Robert R. Livingston, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin—presenting the text to the Second Continental Congress at Philadelphia on June 28, 1776, six days before ratification. Forty-two of the eventual sixty-two signers appear here portrayed from life. Based on Trumbull’s famous painting of 1786, the print was engraved to mark the centenary of the United States.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776
  • Engraver: Waterman Lilly Ormsby (American, Hampton, Connecticut 1809–1883 Brooklyn, New York)
  • Artist: After John Trumbull (American, Lebanon, Connecticut 1756–1843 New York)
  • Publisher: Cole & Co., Brooklyn, New York
  • Date: 1876
  • Medium: Engraving
  • Dimensions: plate: 25 5/8 x 32 1/4 in. (65.1 x 81.9 cm)
    sheet: 27 1/4 x 36 1/4 in. (69.2 x 92.1 cm)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: Gift of William Loring Andrews, 1888
  • Object Number: 88.1.1
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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