The Ornamented Being

“On September 14, 1814, U.S. soldiers at Baltimore’s Fort McHenry raised a huge American flag to celebrate a crucial victory over British forces during the War of 1812. The sight of those “broad stripes and bright stars” inspired Francis Scott Key to write a song that eventually became the United States national anthem. Key’s words gave new significance to a national symbol and started a tradition through which generations of Americans have invested the flag with their own meanings and memories.”

Ask any American what first comes to their mind when thinking about the Declaration of Independence and they will give you one of three answers: the famous second sentence about life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, Thomas Jefferson, or John Hancock’s bold signature. Part of the myth of Hancock’s John Hancock was that he signed in such large letters so King George III could read it without his spectacles. Whether Hancock really said something like this or not, one thing is true—King George, or anyone for that matter, could read Hancock’s signature without glasses.

Martha Washington wore this silk taffeta gown in the early 1780s. The silk is painted with a design of flowers, butterflies, and other insects. The collar and cuffs are reproductions.

When he died in 1777, his last words to his tormentors were: “Tell them that they will live to see the hour when they shall acknowledge it [the signing] to have been the most glorious service that I rendered to my country.”