Theatrical Picture Drop

Gilbert Sackerman

National Gallery of Art

This is a painting of a room designed like a theatrical stage, surrounded by several layers of curtains. The room in the center features a group of people appearing to work on a flag. Some men sit in chairs on the left, facing four women in bonnets and dresses who sit on the floor and hold the large flag between them, appearing to work on different sections. This interior scene is surrounded by a gold border and two layers of rich red curtains with gold fringe. Above the curtains are two indistinct pink figures holding banners labeled "MUSIC" and "DRAMA." Below the room are two other pink figures with wings surrounded by garlands, and between them is an oval reading "BIRTH OF THE FLAG 1776." The painting is surrounded by a border of off-white paper.