The spirit that makes a creature truly wild soars in Sovereign Repose. For Daniel Smith to portray such an intimate understanding of this raptor’s nature attests to the time he spends in its natural habitat. The bald eagle (haliaeetus leucocephalus), is found over most of North America, from Alaska and Canada to northern Mexico. In 1782 the Continental Congress officially adopted the current design for the Great Seal of the United States, emboldened with a bald eagle grasping arrows and an olive branch with its talons. While on the brink of extinction late in the 20th century, today the population of the great bird has stabilized, ensuring that this living embodiment of freedom continues its reign.