File:24¢ Declaration of Independence.jpg

English: One of the finest examples of engraving, the center of the stamp consists of a miniature masterpiece. James Smillie engraved 42 persons, and the six principal figures can be recognized under a magnifying glass! Son of the governor of Connecticut, John Trumbull was the first native-born American to dedicate himself to painting. He was an aide-de-camp to George Washington in the Revolutionary War. Trumbull's hopes of being the nation's official history painter were stymied until 1817, when the U.S. Congress commissioned him to paint four scenes from the war for the Capitol rotunda. In that same year, he was named director of the American Academy of Fine Arts in New York City.