1936 Faulkner Murals

The National Archives Building’s architect, John Russell Pope, designated space for two large murals in the Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom. These oil-on-canvas paintings were painted by artist Barry Faulkner in 1935–36. Faulkner created allegorical (symbolic or metaphorical) scenes depicting the writing and adoption of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States. These massive murals, each about the size of a city bus (14 feet by 37.5 feet), add life and color to the space.

Click on the images below to identify the historic figures in each painting. Learn about the history and development of the Faulkner murals and their 2002 restoration.

Declaration of Independence Faulkner Mural

View the Declaration Mural

View the Constitution Mural

About the Framers of the Constitution

Who were the framers of the Constitution

Additional activities and information

These large-scale Faulkner murals, now on display in the Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom, have been painstakingly cleaned and conserved. Read the feature article " Restoring the Historic Murals in the National Archives Building" by Richard Blondo, Archives Specialist to learn about how it was done.

Restoring the Historic Murals

Read Depicting the Creation of a Nation, a Prologue article about the Faulkner murals by Lester Gorelic.

The Story Behind the Murals

Read The Story of the Faulkner Murals, a more complete telling of the stories behind the murals, by Lester Gorelic.

Watch a lecture by Dr. Gorelic, The Faulkner Murals: Revealing their Stories.

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