Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States
This article needs additional citations for verification. (October 2020) |
Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States is a 1940 oil-on-canvas
Description
Only 39 of the 55 delegates are pictured in the painting; not included are the three delegates who did not sign the Constitution or the 13 delegates who left the convention. On the right side of the painting, on the
William Jackson, the convention's secretary, is prominently placed directly in the center. Standing, in red, and holding up four fingers, he apparently is counting the votes. At his left elbow, James Madison observes the proceedings. Between Jackson's right hand and head is William Paterson. Benjamin Franklin is seated in the center, and Alexander Hamilton leans toward him. Standing directly behind Hamilton is Gouverneur Morris of Pennsylvania. The South Carolina delegation is depicted in the painting's left corner. Also seated on the left, distinguished by their multi-colored silk coats, are Jonathan Dayton, Rufus King (on Dayton's left) and Nathaniel Gorham.
Commissioning[1]
Representative Sol Bloom, the Director General of the United States Constitution Sesquicentennial Commission, first proposed that the painting be commissioned in 1937 as part of the 150th anniversary of the Constitution. Howard Chandler Christy, one of the most popular illustrators and portrait painters of the time, had created an historically accurate scene of the signing for the commission to reproduce. His first small painting included a maiden representing "We the People" and numerous other symbolic figures, but these were eliminated in the final version. In the three years during which Representative Bloom worked with Christy to locate early portraits of the signers and to fill in historical details, he became aware that there was no scene of the signing of the Constitution in the U.S. Capitol, and few other paintings in existence included all the signers.
A Joint Resolution was first introduced in the House in 1937 to pay Christy $35,000 to paint Signing of the Constitution. Heated debate arose, however: some members of Congress were in favor of memorializing one of the greatest events in American history, but others held deep reservations about spending the funds for art during a period of severe economic depression, and the bill did not pass. The Joint Resolution failed again in 1938.
Finally, in 1939, a modified resolution, P.R. 11, 76th Congress, was accepted to set up a commission consisting of the
Research and work
To achieve the greatest possible accuracy, Christy searched for portraits by the best artists of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, such as
The huge 18-by-26-foot (5.5 by 7.9 m) canvas was painted in the sail loft of the Washington Navy Yard, where Christy at times used enlisted men as models for the figures. After five years of research and seven months of painting, the canvas was dedicated in May 1940 in the Rotunda of the Capitol, where it was on view for 16 months. The 20-by-30-foot (6.1 by 9.1 m) frame, made in nine sections including the central eagle and crest, was hand carved and given a gold-leaf finish by Azeglio Pancani of New York. After much debate about where it could be hung, another painting was moved and the Christy in its frame was installed in the east grand stairway of the House, where it remains today.
Vandalism and restoration
In 1967 the painting was vandalized by being slashed along the bottom; the canvas had to be removed from the stretcher to be transported for repair in 1968. The fills made then were apparent, however, and over time dust, grime, and yellowed varnish obscured the original brilliant colors. In 2006 the painting was cleaned and conserved in place by conservators working from a large four-level scaffold from mid-October through December. The cleaning of areas that had looked dull brown revealed lively expressions, detailed costumes and impressionist colors, such as lavender and pink, applied with scintillating brushwork. The vandalized area was given special attention and is now barely visible. Finally, a new coating of clear protective varnish was applied.
The frame, which had been covered with bronze powder paint in 1968, was taken apart in sections and conserved off site. It was cleaned and repaired, regilded with 22-karat gold leaf similar to the color of the original metal leaf, and toned to complement the painting.
See also
- Declaration of Independence, an 1819 portrait by John Trumbull
- Founding Fathers of the United States
References
- ^ "Signing of the Constitution | Architect of the Capitol". www.aoc.gov. Retrieved 2020-10-16.
Sources
This article incorporates public domain material from the Architect of the Capitol
- Lloyd, Gordon. "About Howard Chandler Christy's Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States." [1]