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Those were interesting times. Revolutionary leaders were god-like figures to the public, and I'm sure there was a great demand for portraits of them.
Fourth of July celebrations were not complete unless they included an appearance by a founding father who had signed the Declaration of Indepenance. The signers reveled in these events, and on July 4, 1826, exactly fifty years from the signing date, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams were both clinging to life in their death beds. They were the last surviving signers.
It's accepted that they lived to see the fourth by virtue of sheer willpower, as the day was so important in those times. Both men died by the end of the day.
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