Congress Voting Independence

Public Domain

ExpandFavorite

Engraver Edward Savage (American, 1761–1817)American, 1761–1817

Artistafter Robert Edge Pine(English, 1742–1788)English, 1742–1788

CultureAmerican

Titles

Congress Voting Independence

Datec. 1795

PlacePhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

MediumStipple and line engraving on laid paper

DimensionsPlate: 18 7/8 × 25 7/16 in. (47.9 × 64.6 cm)
Sheet: 20 1/16 × 27 1/8 in. (51 × 68.9 cm)

Credit LineThe Bayou Bend Collection, museum purchase funded by Robert H. Allen in honor of Robert L. Gerry III at "One Great Night in November, 1991"

Object numberB.91.45

Not on view

Explore Further

Department

Bayou Bend

Object Type

PRINTS

DescriptionThe painting on which this engraving is based was made by English-born artist Robert Edge Pine. He came to the United States in 1784; when he died in 1788, the painting was unfinished. Massachusetts-born artist Edward Savage completed the painting and undertook to make an engraving of the scene, which was uncompleted at the time of his death in 1817. At the center of the image, Thomas Jefferson places documents on a table while Benjamin Franklin sits cross-legged in a Windsor chair.
Provenance[The Philadelphia Print Shop, Philadelphia]; purchased by MFAH, 1991.
Published References Shadwell, Wendy A. American Printmaking: The First 150 Years. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1969, p. 37, no. 618; The Philadelphia Print Shop Catalogue 1−91, no. 47.

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

If you have questions about this work of art or the MFAH Online Collection please contact us.