A single artist is credited with inspiring the way generations of Americans picture the signing of the Declaration of Independence and with how that historic moment has been portrayed on U.S. stamps.
John Trumbull was a Connecticut-born painter and architect who is famous for his four large paintings displayed in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, each one depicting a significant event in American history. One of those paintings, “Declaration of Independence,” has been featured in one form or another on three stamp issuances.
The first stamp to memorialize the document and Trumbull’s 1817 painting was issued in 1869 as part of the Pictorial Issue, a series of 10 stamps in different denominations. The 24-cent stamp displayed an engraved vignette based on his work.
More than 100 years later, Trumbull’s painting again appeared on U.S. stamps, but this time in a different form.
In celebration of the nation’s Bicentennial, the Postal Service issued a souvenir sheet of five 18-cent stamps in May 1976 focusing on a detail from the painting. The sheet featured the five-person committee assigned to draft the document — Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Roger Sherman and Robert Livingston — standing before John Hancock, president of the Second Continental Congress.
On July 4, 1976, a se-tenant of four 13-cent stamps were issued showing a larger portion of Trumbull’s work featuring members of the Congress looking on as the declaration is presented.
More information about these stamps and the latest Declaration of Independence stamp is available on the USPS Stamps Forever website.
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