Portraits by artist Charles Willson Peale form the core of the "People of Independence" exhibit, which provides a glimpse into the lives of those who prized order and reason, yet lived in a world marked by disease, slavery, and the fear of the unknown. In the early 1800's, these likenesses of "worthy Personages" were exhibited in Peale's Philadelphia Museum, located on the second floor of Independence Hall. Additional portraits by other artists, particularly a number by British pastel artists James and Ellen Sharples, have been added to the collection through the years.