Since 1782, the Great Seal of the United States has been emblazoned with the bald eagle, directly associating America with the ancient Roman republic. Our particular national bird is indigenous to North America, but eagles in general have symbolized power and courage in countless civilizations, beginning with the Egyptian pharaohs in the 14th century BCE. Large in scale, this pair of birds was probably intended for a public building. It may have stood in New Hampshire, where the birds were later found. Their simplified carving and streamlined appearance typify the kind of 19th-century popular arts ("folk art") that inspired some of the 20th-century modernist painters and sculptors whose works are on view in the adjacent galleries.