Evening Star Newspaper, December 22, 1929, Page 95

THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHlNGTOfi. D. ('.: DF.(‘EMRF.R 22 1020 “Signing the Declaration of Independence,” painted by John Trumbull. Done by John Trumbull and Placed in Position in the Rotunda o f the United States Capitol 105 Years Ago, the Historic Canvases Depictin g the Signing of The Declaration of Independence, The Resignation of General Washin gton, The Surrender of Burgoyne, and The Surrender of Cornwallis, Have Won Wo BY H. O. BISHOP. AERE are four paintings in the rotunda of the United States Capitol that have prcbably been scen by more pzopla than any other paintings in‘ this country. These pictures are known as: The Signing of the Declaration of Independence, The Resigna- tion of Gen. Washington, The Surrender of Bur- goyne and The Surrender of Cornwallis. More than a century ago an artist by tha- name of John Trumbull, who had bzen a soldier in the Revolutionary War, was commissioned by Congress to paint these pictures, They wers completed and placed in position in 1824. Dur- ing the intervening 105 years they have beci: viewed daily by people in all walks of life from all sections of the country and the world. TRUMBULL began his negotiations with Con- gress in December, 1816, The story of the deliberations of that body and his conferenc.s with the President are thus rezorded by Trum- bull in his autobiography: “Several gentlemen, particularly Mr. Timothy Pitkin of the House of Representatives, weie zealous to see my plan executed in its full ex- tent. Some of the studies were put up in the hall of the House; and in one of the debates o:; the subject Mr. John Randolph was ardently eloquent in his commendation of the work and insisted that I should be employed to execute the whole. The result was that a resolution finally passed both houses giving authority to the President to employ me ‘to compose and execute four paintings commemorative of the most important events of th2 American Revo- lution, to be placed, when finished, in the Capi- tol of the United States.’ “The choice of the subjects and the size of each picture was left to the President, Mr. Madison. I immediately waited upon the Presi- dent to rceeive his orders., The size was firs: . G By discussed. I propcsed that they be 6 feet high by 9 long, which would give to thz figures haif the size of life. The President at once over- ruled me. ‘Consider, sir,” said he, ‘the vast size of the apartment in which thcse works are to be placed—the rotunda, 109 feet in diameter and the same in helght—paintings of the size which you propese will be lost in such a space: they must be of dimensions to admit the figures to be of the size of life.’ “This was so settled, and when we came to speak of the subjects the President first men+ tioned the Battle of Bunker Hill. Observing me to be silent Mr. Madison asked if I did not ap- prove that. My reply was, ‘That if the order had been (as I had hoped) for cight paintings 1 should have named that first, but as there were only four commanded I thought o herwise. 1: appeared to me that there were two military subjects paramount to all cthers. We had in the course of the Revolution made prisoners of two entire armies, a circumstance almost with- out parallel, and of course the surrender ot Gen. Burgoyne at Saratoga and that of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown seemed to me indis- pensable.” ‘True,’ he replied, ‘you are right’, and what for the civil subjects?’ ‘The Declara- tion of Independance, of course.’ ‘What would you have the fourth?’ ‘Sir, I rcplied, ‘I have thought that one of the highest moral lessons ever given to the world was that presented by the conduct of the commander-in-chief in re- signing his power and commission as he did when the Army perhaps would have been unanimously with him and few of the people disposed to resist his retaining the power which he had used with such happy success and such irreproachable mcderation. I would recommend, then, the Resignation of Washington.’ After a momentary silent reflection the President said. ‘I believe you are right; it was a glorious action * The price was settled at $8,000 for each paint- ing, and as soon as the new administration was formed under Mr. Monroe the Secretary of Statc was charged to prepare a contract on thes- principles, which was done.” HE :dea of painting these pictures was not a sudden Inspira‘ion ¢n the part of Trumball, He h2d spent many years traveling in Europe wnd America securing sittings from the nu- merous men whese faces and figures were to appear in these great productions. He had pre- pared small canvases long before securing the contract for the large pictures from Congress. In the case of the Declaraticn of Independ- ence, Trumbull went to Paris in 1787 to get the advice of Jefferson, who was there as the Ameri- can representative. in JefTersen’s home and it was there that Jef- ferson’s portrait was painted on the small can- vas. The artist found John Adams in London and painted his portrait there. He related this incident in a letter: “In the course of the Sum- mer of 1787 Mr. Adams took leave of the Court of St. James and preg fery to the voyage to America had the powder combed out of his hair. Its color and na‘ural curl were beautiful, and I tookx that opportuni to paint his portrait n tee small Declarat of Independence.” John Hancock and Samuel Adams were painted in Boston and Edward Rutledge in Charl:stcn, 8. C. The painting shows the rooms in Independence Hall, Philadelphia, where the signing took place. John Hancock is shown at the table and the committee that drafted the Declaration—Franklin, Jefferson, Adams, Livingston and Sherman—stand in front of him, The painting naturally recalls the words of John Adams: “I am well aware of the toll and blocd and treasure that it will cost us to maintain this Declaration and support and defend these States. Yet, through all this glocm I can see the rays of ravishing light and glory.” HE Surrender of Burgoyne, according to Trumbull, represerts Burgoyne, attended by Gen. Phillips and followed by o'her officers, ar- riving near the marquee of Gen. Gates. Gen. Gates had advanced a few steps from the en- trance to meet his prisoner, who, with Gen. Philiips, has dismounted and is in the act of ofiering his sword, whizh Gen. Gates declines to The painting was planned - rld-Wide Acclaim. reccive, and invites them to enter. A Brithh writer gives this description of Burgoyne's sur- render: !‘Gen. Gates, advised of Burgoyne's ap«. - proach, met him at the head of his camp. Bure goyne in a rich royal uniform and Gates in plain blue frcck. When they approached nearlysy within sword's length they reined up and halted. Gen. Burgoyne, raising his hat most gracefully, said, ‘The fortunes of war, Gen. Gates, have made me your prisoner,’ to which the conqueror, returning a courtly salute, promptly replied. ‘I shall always be ready to bear testimony that it has not been through any fault of your excel- lency. " ; IN The Surrender of Cornwallis, Gen. Lineoln, on horseback, is shown conducting the de- feated army between the two lines of the victors. Trumbull visited Yorktown to study the actual scene of surrender. The French officers were painted from life at Jefferson's house in' Paris, In a letter from London Trumbull describes his difficulties concerning this painting: “I made various studies for The Surrender of Lord Corn- wallis and in this found great difficulty; the scene was altogether one of utter formality— the ground was level—military etiquette was to be scrupulously observed and vet the portraits of the principal officers of three proud nations must e preserved without interrupting the general regularity of the scene. I drew it over and over again and at last, having resolved upon the present arrangement, I prepared the small picture to receive the portraits.” Dr. Thatcher, in his military journal, gives us & vivid description of the surrender of Corn- wallis: “At about 12 o’clock the combined Army was drawn up into two lines more than a mile in length, the Americans on the right side of the road, the French on their left, Washington, mounted on a noble steed and attended by his stafl, was in front of the former; the Count de Rochambeau and his suite in front of the latter. The French troops, in complete uniform and Continued on Twenty-first Page .