Jun 6, 2018
American painter John Trumbull is known for four large paintings on display in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda depicting pivotal moments surrounding the Revolutionary War. The four paintings were commissioned by Congress in a resolution that passed on February 6, 1817 titled, “Resolution to employ John Trumbull to compose and execute certain paintings.”
The painting referenced in this letter, Surrender of Lord Cornwallis, depicts the surrender of the British army at Yorktown in 1781. The moment signified the end of the last major campaign of the Revolutionary War.
Letter from the Records of the Committee on Ways and Means,1/3/1840; HR16A-D25.4; Records of the U.S. House of Representatives, Record Group 233
