John Trumbull's sweeping historical paintings of battle scenes of the American Revolution hang in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., for all to see. This patriot-artist painted lifelike portraits of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin, and he traveled around the country to capture realistic likenesses of the other Founding Fathers who drafted the Declaration of Independence in 1776.

Pore over the landmark work left by this brilliant artist and become acquainted with a man who, despite great adversity, was determined to portray in lush detail the first stirrings of the nation that would become America. The inscription on John Trumbull's memorial fittingly reads: To his country he gave his sword and pencil.