Been thinking about this alot lately. There is only 1 person on the back of a $2 bill who is wearing a hat. LH side, grouped with a couple of other guys. Wasn't it a sign of disrespect to wear a hat inside a building back in the day? Does anyone know who the man is? Thanks
We assume you're referring to the 1976 version of the $2 bill that features John Trumbull's "Declaration of Independence" painting. Created between 1788 and 1795, the painting memorializes the document's historic signing. However the scene didn't actually take place as depicted. Trumbull included all the key players in his painting, whether or not they supported independence, and whether or not they actually signed. Twenty-five years after he finished the painting, Trumbull identified the man in the Quaker hat as Stephen Hopkins, a signatory of the Declaration of Independence and first governor of Rhode Island. But in the 1940s, Trumbull's original sketch of Hopkins was discovered. It called into question the identity of the man in the wide-brimmed hat. Art historian Irma Jaffe concludes the mysterious man was actually John Dickinson, a Pennsylvania Quaker opposed to independence. A commission from the Rhode Island Governor's Office investigated the claim and agreed with Jaffe's findings. Maybe John Trumbull intended to be vague. Or maybe he was pulling a joke. He certainly showed a sense of humor when he painted John Adams stepping on Thomas Jefferson's foot.
lol. Some things are different on the back of a $2 compared to the painting. The standing row of 5 guys on the LH side in the painting is actually 6 on the bill. Also, The 4 men sitting in the background just left of center in the painting are 5 men on the $2. There are a few others as well. Kind of odd only 1 person seems to have a smile and the rest are not very happy looking.
OP thanks for the question. I would have never thought to ask it, but am pleasantly surprised to learn the answer. Thanks
My imagination thinks that the guy in the hat is a time traveller. I mean, did they wear hats like that in 1776? <grin>
Not quite: https://www.answers.com/Q/Who_is_the_person_with_the_hat_on_the_back_of_a_US_2_dollar_bill "The back of the U.S. $2 bill features John Trumbull's painting "The Declaration of Independence." The man wearing the hat is Stephen Hopkins of Rhode Island." The portrait in the following link is a good match concerning the man in the hat: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Hopkins_(politician)
