The portrait of the first Speaker was given to the House of Representatives by the state of Pennsylvania in 1881. A copy after Joseph Wright’s 1790 portrait of Frederick Muhlenberg, the Speaker is shown signing House Bill 65, “An Act to regulate trade and intercourse with Indian tribes,” which occurred on July 20, 1790. The likeness bears out contemporary descriptions of Muhlenberg’s rosy complexion and ample dimensions.
History, Art & Archives, U.S. House of Representatives, “Frederick Augustus Conrad Muhlenberg,” https://history.house.gov/Collection/Listing/2005/2005-016-001/ (September 19, 2022)
Office of the Historian
Office of Art and Archives
Attic, Thomas Jefferson Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
(202) 226-1300