Letter from John Trumbull to Theodore Dwight, 1818

In 1817, the U.S. Congress commissioned John Trumbull to paint four Revolutionary-era scenes for the Capitol. Declaration of Independence depicts the presentation of Thomas Jefferson's document to the Continental Congress in 1776. In this letter, the self-described "overworked" Trumbull informed Theodore Dwight -- a partner who would help sell prints of the work -- that the painting was, at long last, finished.