Second Bank of the United States Portrait Gallery

Second Bank of the United States Portrait Gallery is at 420 Chestnut St. within Independence National Historical Park. The 1824 structure, modeled after the Parthenon in Greece, served as the Second Bank of the United States until its demise in 1836 when its charter was not renewed and all the Federal bank's funds were transferred to state banks.

Today, the graceful building is home to the Portrait Gallery in the Second Bank where more than 150 portraits of members of the military and signers of the Declaration of Independence and Constitution, most by artist Charles Willson Peale, can be viewed. The People of Independence collection offers a glimpse into the lives of those who lived in Philadelphia when it served as the capital city 1790-1800. Works by British pastel artists James and Ellen Sharples also are included in the collection.