The Declaration of Independence Mural
10/27/1936
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The artist Barry Faulkner painted this mural representing Thomas Jefferson and his committee, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston – known as the Committee of Five – submitting the Declaration of Independence to the presiding officer of the Continental Congress, John Hancock.
The mural is installed in the Rotunda in the National Archives Museum in Washington, DC. The National Archives Building’s architect, John Russell Pope, designated space specifically for two large murals. These oil-on-canvas paintings were executed by Faulkner between 1933 and 1936. Faulkner created allegorical (symbolic or metaphorical) scenes depicting the writing and adoption of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States. These massive murals, each about the size of a city bus (14 feet by 37.5 feet), add life and color to the space.
The mural depicts the following men (in order from left to right, bottom row, then top row):
1. Robert Morris, Pennsylvania
2. Samuel Chase, Maryland
3. Charles Carroll, Maryland
4. Stephen Hopkins, Rhode Island
5. Samuel Adams, Massachusetts
6. Thomas McKean, Delaware
7. John Dickinson, Pennsylvania
8. Abraham Clark, New Jersey
9. William Ellery, Rhode Island
10. John Witherspoon, New Jersey
11. John Hancock, Massachusetts
12. Benjamin Harrison, Virginia
13. Samuel Huntington, Connecticut
14. Thomas Jefferson, Virginia
15. Roger Sherman, Connecticut
16. John Adams, Massachusetts
17. Robert R. Livingston, New York
18. Benjamin Franklin, Pennsylvania
19. Richard Henry Lee, Virginia
20. Thomas Nelson, Jr., Virginia
21. Joseph Hewes, North Carolina
22. Edward Rutledge, South Carolina
23. Lyman Hall, Georgia
24. Josiah Bartlett, New Hampshire
25. Thomas Stone, Maryland
26. Francis Hopkinson, New Jersey
27. George Wythe, Virginia
28. William Floyd, New York
The mural is installed in the Rotunda in the National Archives Museum in Washington, DC. The National Archives Building’s architect, John Russell Pope, designated space specifically for two large murals. These oil-on-canvas paintings were executed by Faulkner between 1933 and 1936. Faulkner created allegorical (symbolic or metaphorical) scenes depicting the writing and adoption of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States. These massive murals, each about the size of a city bus (14 feet by 37.5 feet), add life and color to the space.
The mural depicts the following men (in order from left to right, bottom row, then top row):
1. Robert Morris, Pennsylvania
2. Samuel Chase, Maryland
3. Charles Carroll, Maryland
4. Stephen Hopkins, Rhode Island
5. Samuel Adams, Massachusetts
6. Thomas McKean, Delaware
7. John Dickinson, Pennsylvania
8. Abraham Clark, New Jersey
9. William Ellery, Rhode Island
10. John Witherspoon, New Jersey
11. John Hancock, Massachusetts
12. Benjamin Harrison, Virginia
13. Samuel Huntington, Connecticut
14. Thomas Jefferson, Virginia
15. Roger Sherman, Connecticut
16. John Adams, Massachusetts
17. Robert R. Livingston, New York
18. Benjamin Franklin, Pennsylvania
19. Richard Henry Lee, Virginia
20. Thomas Nelson, Jr., Virginia
21. Joseph Hewes, North Carolina
22. Edward Rutledge, South Carolina
23. Lyman Hall, Georgia
24. Josiah Bartlett, New Hampshire
25. Thomas Stone, Maryland
26. Francis Hopkinson, New Jersey
27. George Wythe, Virginia
28. William Floyd, New York
This primary source comes from the Records of the National Archives and Records Administration.
National Archives Identifier: 7820669
Full Citation: Photograph 64-NA-112A; Photograph of the Mural, The Declaration of Independence, by Barry Faulkner; 10/27/1936; Historic Photograph File of National Archives Events and Personnel, 1935 - 1975; Records of the National Archives and Records Administration, Record Group 64; National Archives at College Park, College Park, MD. [Online Version, https://docsteach.org/documents/document/faulkner-mural-declaration, May 22, 2025]Rights: Public Domain, Free of Known Copyright Restrictions. Learn more on our privacy and legal page.
