Archibald Willard's Spirit of '76 is one of his best-known works. His original painting was exhibited at the Columbian Exposition in 1876, where it was an instant success. This version, created in 1916, was one of several variations on the original. The oil painting measures 35" x 41.5" (88.9 x 105.41 cm). Also included here is a 27" x 31.5" (68.58 x 80.01 cm) charcoal sketch Willard created in 1876 in preparation for the oil painting. The final drawing is also based on the Spirit of '76 and was made by Willard for Reverend W.E. Barton. It measures 22.5" x 26" (57.15 x 66.04 cm).

Willard's original idea for Spirit of '76 was for a humorous picture based on musicians clowning around in the Wellington Fourth of July parade. However, he decided instead to do a serious patriotic work. The model for the old man in the painting was Willard's father; the fifer was his friend and Civil War Veteran Hugh Moser, and the drummer boy was Harry Deveraux, a military school cadet from Cleveland.

Willard was born in Bedford, Ohio in 1836. His family moved to Wellington, Ohio in the 1850s. Although he had little formal training as an artist, Willard worked for a carriage maker, painting pictures on finished carriages. After serving in the Civil War, his work came to the attention of a Cleveland art retailer who marketed his work.