The Second Bank of the United States was chartered to combat the debt and inflationary pressures, the U.S. Government faced from the War of 1812. President Madison signed a bill authorizing the 2nd Bank in 1816 with a charter lasting 20 years. Today the neo-classical structure houses an extraordinary Portrait Gallery. Many of the works are by Charles Wilson Peale, the leading American portrait artist of the time, capturing the magnificent visages of 18th Century war heroes and statesmen of the day. All the signers of the Declaration of Independence are here, and members of the First Constitutional Congress. George Washington's death mask is part of the Portrait Gallery collection.
Website: nps.gov
Phone: (800) 537-7676
Cross Streets: Between S 4th St and S 5th St
Closed now
- Sat 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Chestnut Street, 4th and 5th Streets Philadelphia, PA 19106 ·268.00 mi
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Amenities
- Family friendly
Reviews
tripadvisor
This was on our list of places to visit while we were visiting in Philadelphia. We wanted to see all the portraits here. We were not disappointed. It was interesting to see portraits of people we had only read about.
MoreAn unexpected and delightful find.Just finished up at the nearby Museum of The American Revolution (which is also a Must See destination). And just strolling around the neighborhood and came upon the bank - part of Independence Hall National Historical Park. Let's see if it's open. And it is.And find out it is a portrait gallery. Go inside and are surrounded by portraits of the famous and not so famous from Philadelphia and beyond. From the Founding Fathers to the local citizens. A great cross section of our first citizens. And in a very open, casual and informal space. Which in itself is worth the visit. Beautifully restored. And of course, always helpful National Park Service staff to answer any questions.Glad we walked around
MoreEven my my grandchildren enjoyed viewing the portraits and learning about the people. Helpful rangers were there to help. We met the Ranger who gave us our Independence Hall tour. She guided the boys and they earned trading cards. My favorite was a miniature portrait by Charles Peale surrounded by garnets.
MoreWhile this is a small portrait gallery, it is great to see original paintings of revolutionary icons. As an aside, it has the best restrooms on the mall
MoreThe Second Bank is famous/infamous as the national bank that Andrew Jackson killed. The building is intact but has seen better days (a renovation is planned). The interior has nothing to do with the Bank. It's a gallery of portraits painted by famous artist Charles Peale. It's free and there's a lot more in here than I expected, but while there are many famous Revolution-Era figures here, there are many portraits of miscellaneous not famous people whom Peale painted. As the same person painted all of them, there's a sameness to them, and my interest was exhausted in well under an hour.
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