Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States

Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States
Title	Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States
Artist	Howard Chandler Christy
Year	1940
Medium	Oil on canvas
Height metric	365.76
Width metric	548.64
Height imperial	144
Width imperial	216
Museum	United States Capitol
City	Washington, D.C.

Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States is a monumental 1940 history painting by American illustrator Howard Chandler Christy. It depicts the ceremonial conclusion of the Constitutional Convention on September 17, 1787, in the Assembly Room of Independence Hall in Philadelphia. The work is renowned for its ambitious scale and its imaginative, detailed portrayal of the Founding Fathers, though it takes significant artistic license with the historical event. Since 1940, it has been displayed in the United States Capitol, specifically in the East Stairway of the House wing.

Historical context and commission

The painting was commissioned in 1939 as part of the Congressional commemoration of the Constitution's sesquicentennial. The commission was secured by Congressman Sol Bloom, who chaired the United States Constitution Sesquicentennial Commission and was a longtime admirer of Howard Chandler Christy's illustrative work. Christy, famous for his "Christy Girl" illustrations and portraits like that of Colonel Charles Lindbergh, was tasked with creating a definitive image of the convention's signing for the Capitol Rotunda. The project aimed to provide a visual counterpart to John Trumbull's famous Declaration of Independence painting, also housed in the Capitol Rotunda. The work coincided with a national period of reflection on American origins during the prelude to World War II.

Description of the painting

The massive canvas, measuring over 18 by 12 feet, presents a dramatic, theatrically lit scene set within the Assembly Room. George Washington, presiding as president of the convention, stands prominently on a raised platform beneath a classical pediment, with sunlight streaming from a window to illuminate him. The arrangement of the 39 signers and other convention participants is largely Christy's invention, designed for compositional clarity and symbolic impact rather than strict historical accuracy. The painting's style blends Christy's background in American Impressionism and commercial illustration, resulting in a polished, accessible realism. Architectural details, such as the Ionic pilasters and the famous Rising Sun Chair, are rendered with precision, though the room's layout and the attendees' positions are idealized.

Figures depicted

Christy included portraits of 39 of the 55 delegates, focusing on those who signed the final document. Central figures include George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison, often called the "Father of the Constitution." Other notable signers portrayed are Roger Sherman of Connecticut, Gouverneur Morris of Pennsylvania, and Charles Pinckney of South Carolina. Three delegates present at the convention who did not sign—Elbridge Gerry, George Mason, and Edmund Randolph—are also included in the scene, standing apart. Christy used historical portraits, such as those by Gilbert Stuart and Charles Willson Peale, as references for the faces of deceased figures like Benjamin Franklin, while using living models for others.

Creation and artistic analysis

Howard Chandler Christy employed a complex, multi-stage process involving extensive historical research and the use of live models in period costume. He constructed a detailed scale model of the Assembly Room in his New York City studio to manage sightlines and lighting. Artistically, the painting is noted for its tenebristic contrast, directing the viewer's eye through strategic illumination, particularly on George Washington and the signing document. Critics have analyzed its function as civil religious iconography, designed to canonize the Founding Fathers and present the Constitutional Convention as a moment of unified, almost divine, purpose. This romanticized vision contrasts with the well-documented contentious debates of the actual convention in Philadelphia.

Provenance and display

Upon its completion in 1940, the painting was presented to the United States Congress and accepted by Vice President John Nance Garner and Speaker William B. Bankhead. It was initially placed in the Capitol Rotunda but was soon moved to its permanent location in the grand East Stairway of the House of Representatives wing due to its immense size. The painting underwent a significant restoration in 2006 led by the Architect of the Capitol's office. It remains one of the largest and most visible paintings in the United States Capitol, viewed by millions of tourists and serving as a backdrop for official ceremonies and televised events, such as presidential inaugurations.

Legacy and cultural impact

*Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States* has become one of the most widely reproduced images of the Founding era. It has been featured on the reverse of the United States two-dollar bill (since 1976) and in countless textbooks, government publications, and documentaries, shaping the popular visual understanding of the Constitutional Convention. Its idealized narrative has been both celebrated for its patriotic inspiration and critiqued by historians for obscuring the conflicts and compromises, such as those over slavery embodied by signers like John Rutledge, that characterized the event. The painting endures as a potent symbol of American constitutional government and national identity.

Category:1940 paintings Category:Paintings by Howard Chandler Christy Category:Paintings in the United States Capitol Category:History paintings of the United States