When, in the Course of Human Events It Becomes Necessary: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

This black and white print takes its title from the immortal first line of the Declaration of Independence. It depicts a symbolic lion and eagle confronting each other across a stretch of ground on which is scrawled the date "1776." The lion is surrounded by caricatures of British forces, while the eagle and American Colonists are portrayed as brave, defiant figures. This popular, patriotic print was marketed to the average household and sold for 25 cents.

The graphic artist was Archibald M. Willard, know at the time for his paiting Spirit of 76. The publisher was James Fitzallen Ryder (1826-1904).

Materials, dates and provenance

• date made: ca 1876
• artist: Willard, Archibald M.
• publisher: Ryder, James F.
• Object Name: lithograph
• Object Type: Lithograph
• Physical Description: paper (overall material)
• Physical Description: ink (overall material)
• Measurements: image: 14 1/2 in x 20 1/8 in; 36.83 cm x 51.1175 cm
• Measurements: overall: 16 3/4 in x 22 1/2 in; 42.545 cm x 57.15 cm
• place made: United States: Ohio, Cleveland
• Subject: Revolutionary War
• Subject: Patriotism and Patriotic Symbols
• Subject: Diplomacy
• Subject: Uniforms, Military
• depicted: Eagles
• Subject: Music
• related event: American Revolution
• ID Number: DL.60.2580
• catalog number: 60.2580
• accession number: 228146
• Credit Line: Harry T. Peters "America on Stone" Lithography Collection
• Data Source: National Museum of American History

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of American History through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The displayed image also has an explicit CC0 designation.