An "allegorical" painting of the Signing—a five feet by seven feet portrayal of the spirit of Liberty, Peace, and Justice—was completed by Christy after two years work in 1937 in conjunction with the celebration of the Sesquicentennial of the Signing of the Constitution. Christy painted this "We the People" rendition in Independence Hall, where at the time the portraits of the Founders hung from the walls, and this undoubtedly inspired his attention to detail; he offered it to the Sesquicentennial Commission as his gift to America. Sources also suggest that he did a lot of his preliminary sketches in Independence Hall during the month of September in order to replicate the lighting of the room.

In the 1930s, Independence Hall served as a collection of Founding material rather than as a replication of original conditions. The bicentennial of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1976 changed all that. The photographs on the wall have been removed and placed in the Second Bank in Philadelphia or the National Portrait Gallery in Washington D. C. Independence Hall has been restored to its original shape and design. But at the time of the Sesquicentennial of the Constitution, Christy's painting was part of the display at Independence Hall and his "We the People" draft of the Signing is clearly inspired by the presence of the Framers looking down on him from on high.

Christy also received assistance from Roy Bird Cook (1886-1961) whose efforts to preserve the history of the Civil War are recorded at www.libraries.wvu.edu/Roy_Cook_JPG/ in West Virginia. Christy wrote a letter to Cook thanking him for his assiatance. With the letter, he included a "historic statement" that helps us understand Christy's intention in creating the work and his attention to detail.

Christy's Independence Hall "We the People" painting went over so well, that Congress and President Roosevelt in Spring 1939, invited him to produce a twenty-foot by thirty-foot version that would be hung in the Capitol. The completed painting was unveiled in the Rotunda of the Capitol in May 1940.

Interpreting an interpretation is a perilous exercise. Nevertheless, Christy's painting is so vital to the celebration of the American Founding that I owe the contemporary viewer a few thoughts on what Christy is attempting to portray in this commemorative painting.

Christy's Invitee List for Unveiling (PDF)

First, Christy has depicted a certain light in the room. Heavy curtains are open and the outside is visible. During the proceedings of the Convention the curtains were drawn in order to enhance the agreement on secrecy. Now that the solution has been found, we can move from darkness to light.

Second, Christy numbered each of the delegates and this enumeration is available to the public when they view the painting. The first seven mentioned are, with the exception of Franklin, all pro strong central government Federalists: Washington, Franklin, Madison, Hamilton, G Morris, R. Morris, and James Wilson are the first seven listed by Christy. They are separated out from their state delegations and are displayed as independent heroes at the Convention. Put differently, Christy places the supporters of a strong general government in perhaps larger than life positions. Madison is seated alone at a table near the podium surrounded by crumpled and uncrumpled notes. Perhaps this symbolizes Madison as the "Notetaker" of the Convention. Washington, surrounded by light, and Franklin, surrounded by books and cane in hand, are there not for what they did at the Convention, but for their heroic position in American life, something that was very much portrayed in the literature the time of The American Founding.

R. Morris is not there for his contribution at the Convention-he never spoke-but because he was the financier of the American Revolution. Christy links his actions of 1776 as critical to the deliberations of 1787. Madison, Hamilton, G. Morris, and Wilson are clearly the architects of the Constitution as far as Christy is concerned, and this portrait certainly captures a central sense of American self-understanding. But what Hamilton could possibly be whispering to Franklin, both center stage in the painting, challenges the imagination. They rarely spoke—in fact Hamilton was gone half the time from the Convention and Franklin had Wilson speak on his behalf—so one wonders what Christy had in mind. I doubt it had anything to do with the politics of the Convention.

Third, the remaining delegates are seated or standing inconspicuously, for the most part, with their state delegations. But there is a peculiarity that needs explanation. Why are the three delegates from South Carolina raising their arms in apparent salute to Washington, who stands taller than anyone in the room? The most obvious answer is an expression of thanks and respect. But there is a very practical answer. Christy was painting the Founders from the official paintings hanging in Independence Hall. There was no verified official portrait in the 1930s of Pierce Butler of South Carolina and Thomas Fitzsimmons of Virginia, so Christy has their faces hidden by the raised arms of the South Carolina delegation. There is also a blur of faces in the corner to the right of Washington. Christy has been very creative: he has placed John Dickinson, whom Christy has listed as the thirty-eighth signer—who actually wasn't there at the signing because of health reasons, but who had George Read sign on his behalf—disguising the face of Jacob Broom, whom Christy lists as the thirty ninth and last of the signers. There was no official portrait of Broom available in the 1930s.

Fourth, at the very center of the painting is William Jackson. He obviously is critical in Christy's rendition, yet he lists Jackson as the fortieth and last of the "signers." Jackson is not a signer; he is the person who recorded the resolutions and votes. So Christy portrays him as important because he recorded the deliberations.

Fifth, there is only one delegation seated at a table—even though all delegations in fact had their own table at the Convention—and that is the Connecticut delegation. There are pieces of crumpled paper on the floor next to Sherman and Johnson. This is in contrast to the the other table where Madison looks rather pleased with himself. Now Sherman and Johnson were the authors of the Connecticut Compromise that settled the issue of representation and they worked long and hard for this compromise; the people are represented in the House and the States are represented in the Senate. It is unclear whether or not Christy is praising or criticizing the Connecticut delegation

Sixth, I'm not sure why Christy gives the honor of signing to the North Carolina delegation, especially since he has given prominence to seven individual members. My best hunch is this: if it weren't for the Connecticut delegation, the North Carolina delegation wouldn't have come around to the Connecticut Compromise, and without their support, we wouldn't have a Constitution whatever the seven movers and shakers wanted.

Behind Washington, Christy has a painting of four flags and a drum. What these symbols represent is, of course, also open to interpretation. One of the three flags is clearly the one supposedly sown by Betsy Ross in 1776 at the request of Washington and this is the flag that has inspired all the other flags that have been adopted by the country. The other three flags and drum are more difficult to identify, but they probably represent the transition from the battle with the British to the discussions taking place in the room. A movement from revolution to constitution.

Howard Chandler Christy was born in Morgan County, Ohio on 10 January 1873 into a family that traced its lineage back to the Mayflower Compact. He attended art school in New York, during the 1890s, and by age 25 was painting live military illustrations of the Spanish-American War for several well-known magazines. He became especially famous for his "The Soldier's Dream" renditions of women. "The Dream" woman became his prototype for "The Christy Girl," portrayed in his 1900-1921 paintings of a charming, beautiful, educated and emancipated woman. His second wife, Nancy Palmer, was his model for many of the "Christy Girl" paintings.

World War I also elicited patriotic sympathy from Christy: He painted over 40 posters for recruitment, bond sales, victory liberty loans, and other efforts on behalf of the war. His 1919 Victory Liberty Loan poster, for example, portrays a "Christy Girl" proclaiming support for "Americans All," next to an "Honor Roll" listing fourteen names: "Du Bois, Smith, O'Brien, Cejka, Haucke, Pappandrikopolous, Andrassi, Villotto, Levy, Turovich, Kowalski, Chriczanevicz, Knutson, and Gonzales." "Americans All," indeed, both then and now!

During the 1920s, Christy turned from magazine illustrations and patriotic themes to personal portraiture. He became associated with the celebrity circle and painted a wide range of people from Herbert Hoover to Franklin D. Roosevelt to Benito Mussolini. In the mid 1930s, he received several invitations to interpret critical historical events and these, in turn, led in 1940 to the unveiling of his most famous painting, "The Signing of the Constitution." He also painted a number of religiously oriented posters on behalf of the World War II effort. Christy died in New York in 1952 at the age of 80.