Trumbull Gallery of Paintings in Yale College. 227 



fitness of the time, which he considered premature. And they 

 particularly recommended, that wherever it was possible, the artist 

 should obtain his portrait from the living person ; that where any 

 one was dead he should be careful to copy the finest portrait that 

 could be obtained ; but that in case of death, where no portrait 

 could be obtained, (and there were many such instances, for, an- 

 terior to the Revolution, the arts had been very little attended to, 

 except in one or two of the cities,) he should by no means admit 

 any ideal representation, lest, it being known that some such were 

 to be found in the painting, a doubt of the truth of others should 

 be excited in the minds of posterity ; and that, in short, absolute 

 authenticity should be attempted, as far as it could be obtained. 



The artist was governed by this advice, and spared neither la- 

 bor nor expense in obtaining his portraits from the living men. 

 Mr. Adams was painted in London ; Mr. Jefferson in Paris ; Mr. 

 Hancock and Samuel Adams in Boston ; Mr. Edward Rutledge in 

 Charleston, South Carolina; Mr. Wythe at Williamsburgh, in 

 Virginia ; Mr. Bartlett at Exeter, in New Hamphire, &c. &c. &c. 



In order to give some variety to his composition, he found it ne- 

 cessary to depart from the usual practice of reporting an act, and 

 has made the whole committee of five advance to the table of the 

 president, to make their report, instead of having the chairman 

 rise in his place for the purpose : the silence and solemnity of the 

 scene, offered such real difficulties to a picturesque and agreeable 

 composition, as to justify, in his opinion, this departure from cus- 

 tom, and perhaps fact. Silence and solemnity he thought essen- 

 tial to the dignity of the subject ; levity or inattention would 

 have been unworthy on such an occasion and in such an assem- 

 bly. The dresses are faithfully copied from the costume of the 

 time, the present fashion of pantaloons and trowsers being then 

 unknown among gentlemen. 



The room is copied from that in which Congress held their ses- 

 sions at the time, such as it was before the spirit of innovation laid 

 unhallowed hands upon it, and violated its venerable walls by 

 modern improvement, as it is called. 



The artist also took the liberty of embellishing the back-ground, 

 by suspending upon the wall, military flags and trophies : such 

 had been taken from the enemy at St. John's, Chambly, (fee. and 

 probably were actually placed in the hall. 



In fact nothing has been neglected by the artist, that was in 

 his power, to render this a faithful memorial of the great event. 



