Great spot for portraits, architecture and history.Well presented exhibits with connections made for most portraits. Some text panels include people of color and their context. Most connect the portraits in each gallery.The Peale gallery is stunning. Be sure to go into the studio gallery and lift the protective cloth to see the miniature portraits. The garnet framed miniature is stunning.Check out the basement, where you’ll find the restrooms, for a great view of the true construction of the building. The exposed brick and mortar give you a great viewpoint of the foundation of the building.In the first gallery to the right upon entry, you’ll find two paintings of the Philadelphia coat of arms. Both a beautiful presentation of this iconic symbol. Incidentally, the George Washington portrait in the same gallery was done by the younger Peale. He paints himself and his brother in the portait as well.Lots of details everywhere. Take your time and absorb the portraits. This is a enhanced and possible from the well worded text panels.

Worth visiting it is completely free as well as very iconic to American history period this is kind of where the first Wall Street was before the real Wall Street happened in New York period so there are a lot of old Banks as well as the actual first bank just down the road and the first stock exchange. inside is okay paintings are interesting but not like too overwhelming but a lot of interesting faces to kind of get a feel for what early American gentlemen look like

amazing. So much history. And its funny to see small door frames and thick doors. Lovely marble building. Can really feel how old it is. I went to tour Philly while in Jersey for business, definitely a place to take kids! It would be nice to live im this area and kids can go here for history lessons. Dowm the street from Independence National Historic Park. A must see and its FREE!!! Next to The Signer Statue. Lots of fun.

Interesting place to visit if you are in town. The building has limited operating hours so be sure to check that before you head there. It will be a short amount of time spent here, anywhere from 40-60 minutes. The building is also well lit at night and makes for great pictures.

More great knowledge from the revolutionary war and our nations early history. Free to walk through, staff is friendly. Would definitely recommend checking this place out if youre from out of town, like myself!

Art museum in its own right! All portraits of our founding fathers and a few notable women.

I thought the place was really cool. They have many very interesting paintings and history of the building itself is fascinating. Insider tip, well youre there ask one of the Rangers to show you the hidden vaults and point out the main vault in the basement to you. To me that really was the neatest part of the whole experience.

Great to visit.

Beautiful building

Amazingly gorgeous building packed with paintings of Americas founding fathers and supporting players. Words cannot describe the beauty of this venue. Simply fantastic.

Im so glad we decided to stop in here. The interior is just as interesting and beautiful as the exterior. And the hall of portraits was so cool!The best part about visiting the park was the NPS rangers who were just full of knowledge! And every one of them was so nice and enthusiastic about imparting that knowledge to the public. Best public servants ever!

History, history, history. Learned a lot.

Really pretty building. Beautiful part of town, great location. Close to the Liberty Bell, the Rose Garden and the Unknown Soldier.

Nice building ️

Very friendly exhibit attendants who eager to tell you the stories behind the portraits and the building. Some of the portraits bring tears to your eyes, mostly from giggling... There were some silly hairdos back then.

Nice history

Great place to have a picnic on a bench very peaceful

Portrait gallery. No lines, bathrooms and AC if you need a break from the independence hall and liberty bell lines across the street. The bathrooms are in the basement.

One of the most beautiful buildings in Philadelphia... Independence National Historical Park has an amazing portrait collection and its housed in this 19th century building. Want to see what Martha Washington looked like? You can see Charles Wilson Peale’s portrait from life of the old gal right here. Hamilton, check. Washington, check. Franklin, check. And, its free. Check the parks website for hours. Not to be missed.

It was a nice visit, but a rather quick one. I rate it five stars for its historical significance, though they could improve a bit with some visitor guidance, or a tour.

Its a beautiful building but neglected. Its stll so attractive that wedding parties are still drawn here for pictures.

Interesting building. Collection of revolution era portraits is good along with biographical info. Free to enter

Great hidden gem of Old City. Free entry into a museum with portraits of dozens of influential faces of early America.

This was a great place to visit. They had numerous displays and lots of interesting information. Wanted to spend more time in the gift shop but had to leave.

Great art on display, and it is a beautiful building as well. Definitely worth a visit. And its free!

Beautiful building in a great part of town! Some really great pieces of art are displayed here.

Fantastic viewing-a historical gem that is often overlooked

My family and I had a great time at the Bank! My kids went on 2 Scavenger Hunts at the bank! The first one they went on they where running around the bank! It was hard to even keep up with them. The second one, though they knew where everything was so it was easier to catch up with them. They got 3 Trading Cards everytime they finished the Scavenger Hunts! This was really fun for my kids, me, and my wife!!!

If you are visiting the old city or Center City in Philadelphia the Second Bank of the United States is definitely a must-see attraction. Inside you will see portraits of almost every influential person in Philadelphias history. Whether youre young or old or in between there is something for everyone to learn in this place

Staff was very fun to talk with .. enjoyed getting out of the rain.

Don’t trust the hours posted here- tried to stop by a couple times and always closed

Great place for those that are interested in the important figures in American history. It looks big on the outside but the place is actually not that big.

Nice place to visit in the fall.

Wonderful exhibit on July 4th.

Nice collection of early portraits of important people of the US and Philadelphia. This is a free exhibit.

The pictures and art that in there is amazingly detailed Wiley preserved the people in charge are extensively knowledgeable this was well worth the visit the architecture in there is amazing the history on the building also worth asking about when youre in there

Never got in. No signs to entrance or hours...

Great historical site with additional insight on origins of our country.

Free museum stuffed full with original portraits of early US power brokers. Some amazing paintings of guys like Franklin and Washington, as well as a lot of the guys (and some gals) you dont hear about as often. Each painting has a little paragraph about who the person was.Great way to get a lot of history in one place. Maybe my favorite destination in the area. The building needs a little love, but the exhibitions are top-notch.

This pretty building now houses colonial era portraits. If you are frustrated by the long lines on the Independence Mall, make sure to stop here to restore your faith in the National Park Service.

A great portrait gallery in a very important historical landmark.

Great collection of art and portraits from Revolutionary period. Always a favorite.

Free entry with nice collection of portraits. Very friendly rangers

Nice architecture

Helpfully staff who have a wealth of knowledge. Excellent exhibits.

I was here with my family, great portraits of historical leaders can be learnt and the presentation we viewed was conducted very professionally, we enjoyed our time and do recommend you do the same

Good historical stories to match with historical people

This was a good art museum of portraits of important people from the Revolutionary era. The bank has been turned into an art museum, so if you want to find bank artifacts, head to the First Bank of the United States.

This museum holds the majority of the portrait paintings made by Charles Willson Peale and displayed in his museum. He painted most of the important men of the day while delegates from the various states tried to improve on the Articles of Confederation and ended up creating the Constitution of the United States of America - the miracle at Philadelphia.

Had museum inside also photographs

If you want to know about US culture head inside to see the portrait gallery. Its free

China

Cool place

Beautiful

Magnificent

Beautiful architecture

History

Good

Broad swath of local and national history through a series of portraits and paintings. Well curated exhibits.

Wonderful architecture

Bank Destroyed

Good

Lots of guides, computer resources and very well conserved paitings

It is actually an art gallery despite the name.

The former building of the Second Bank of the US serves as an Art Gallery right now. The place is full, crowded with portrait of significant characters of American History, such as Quincy Adams and Washington. Although tours are not offered, the park rangers gave me a brief tour of the most important ones. A must visit in Independance Park