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Secondary sourcePainting1973-1974

The Albany Congress, 1754

Allyn Cox · 1973-1974

A 1973 U.S. Capitol mural depicting the 1754 Albany Congress, showing Thomas Hutchinson among the colonial delegates.

The mural shows Hutchinson as one of the Massachusetts delegates at the 1754 Albany Congress.

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Mural in the US Capitol showing a painted scene titled 'The Albany Congress 1754' of colonial-era men in period dress in an outdoor setting, with a wooden fence and a building. Flanking panels show a blacksmith at an anvil and a farmer with a scythe. Below is a quote by Carl Sandburg.
Allyn Cox, The Albany Congress, 1754, 1973-1974. U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C.

About this source

What it is

This is a mural painted by Allyn Cox in 1973-1974 for the Cox Corridors of the U.S. Capitol. It shows the 1754 Albany Congress, a meeting where colonial representatives gathered to discuss relations with Native Americans and defense against France.

Why it matters

The Congress is remembered for Benjamin Franklin's plan for a unified colonial government, an early step toward American federalism. The mural shows several delegates, including Benjamin Franklin and his son William, Governor William Delancey, Sir William Johnson, Colonel Benjamin Tasker, and Governor Thomas Hutchinson of Massachusetts, who attended as a delegate. It reflects how later generations wanted to remember the roots of American cooperation.

Look closer

  • Why might Congress commission a mural about this meeting two centuries later?
  • What does the choice of figures shown tell you about whose role was seen as important?
  • How might a painting made in the 1970s differ from an eyewitness account of 1754?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Thomas Hutchinson on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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