BGuthrie Photos: DC -- U.S. Capitol (interior) -- Rotunda

DC -- U.S. Capitol (interior) -- Rotunda:

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Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
1. CAPROT_170828_005.JPG: George Washington Statue The Basics Artist: Jean Antoine Houdon Materials: Bronze Year: 1934 Location: Capitol Rotunda This statue of George Washington was given to the National Statuary Hall Collection by Virginia in 1934. George Washington was born in Westmoreland County, Virginia, on February 22, 1732. After his father's death in 1743, he lived chiefly at Mount Vernon and worked as a surveyor. Sent by Governor Dinwiddie in 1753 to warn the French against encroaching on land in the Ohio Valley, he served in the French and Indian War as a lieutenant colonel. He was obliged to surrender Fort Necessity on July 3, 1754; distinguished himself in the engagement known as Braddock's Defeat on July 9, 1755; and participated in the capture of Fort Duquesne in 1758. He inherited Mount Vernon from his half-brother Lawrence in 1752. He married Martha Custis on January 6, 1759, and entered the Virginia House of Burgesses that same year. A leader in the movement for independence, he was a delegate to the First and Second Continental Congresses. On June 15, 1775, he was chosen to command the Continental Army, and he assumed his duties on July 3, 1775. He took leave of his officers at Fraunces' Tavern, New York, on December 4, 1783, and retired to Mount Vernon. Returning to public life, he attended the Annapolis Convention in 1786 and presided over the Constitutional Convention in 1787. Unanimously elected the first President of the United States, he was inaugurated in New York on April 30, 1789, served for two terms, and declined a third. When war with France threatened in 1798, he was called from retirement as commander in chief, but hostilities were averted. He died on December 14, 1799, and is buried at Mount Vernon. The above was from https://www.aoc.gov/explore-capitol-campus/art/george-washington-statue
2. CAPROT_170828_025.JPG: Thomas Jefferson Statue The Basics Artist: Pierre-Jean David d’Angers Materials: Bronze Year: 1834 Location: Capitol Rotunda This statue of Thomas Jefferson was the first full-length portrait statue placed in the U.S Capitol Building. Its bronze medium was unusual in early 19th-century America, where sculpture was more commonly carved in marble. Thomas Jefferson was born on April 13, 1743 at his prosperous family’s home in Albemarle County, Virginia. He attended the College of William and Mary. After graduating in 1762, he studied the law, was admitted to the bar in 1767, and practiced for several years. In 1772, Jefferson married Martha Wayles Skelton; the couple would have six children, only two of whom survived to adulthood. Jefferson served in the Continental Congress and in 1776 was chosen to draft the Declaration of Independence. Later that year, he was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates, where he drafted the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom. He served as Governor of Virginia from 1779 to 1781. Jefferson’s federal service included the positions of trade commissioner and minister to France (1784–1789), first Secretary of State (1790–1793), and Vice President of the United States (1797–1801). In 1801, he defeated John Adams to be elected President. During his first term the Louisiana Territory was purchased and the Lewis and Clark expedition was launched. After serving a second term as President, Jefferson retired to Monticello. He remodeled and added to the home, which he had started building at age 26. He donated 6,487 books to the Library of Congress, the foundation for a national library. Jefferson founded the University of Virginia, for which he designed the buildings, and served as its first rector. Jefferson died on July 4, 1826. The Statue Thomas Jefferson is depicted in his best known role as author of the Declaration of Independence. He stands in a dynamic contrapposto pose with his right hand holding a quill pen. The pen’s tip points to Jefferson's left hand, which holds the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson's famous words, which are readable, were created by pressing type into the statue's clay model. Two bound books—perhaps representing the collection that he donated to the Library of Congress—and a wreath, a symbol of victory, lie at his feet. The statue's pedestal is composed of marble and granite, in contrasting colors. The front inscription reads "JEFFERSON." The statue of Thomas Jefferson was privately commissioned by Uriah Phillips Levy as a gift to the American people. A lieutenant in the Navy, Levy admired Jefferson's politics, social philosophies and views on religious freedom; he held Jefferson in such esteem that in 1836 he purchased Monticello, which had been neglected, and restored it. The statue was sculpted in France by Pierre-Jean David d’Angers and cast by Honor� Gonon and Sons using the lost-wax technique. On March 21, 1834, the statue was placed in the center of the Capitol Rotunda. Members of the House of Representatives expressed concern regarding the acceptance of the statue as a gift, its placement and the use of bronze rather than the more traditional marble. Over the next decade, the statue was variously displayed in the Capitol Rotunda and other areas of the building, while never being formally accepted by the Congress. Beginning in the mid to late 1840s, it was displayed on the grounds of the White House. Years later, its neglected condition attracted attention and led to renewed interest in its history. In 1874, the Congress passed a resolution to accept the statue and appropriated funds for its repair. After restoration, the statue was placed in National Statuary Hall and, in 1900, it was moved back to the Rotunda, where it has remained. The Sculptor Pierre-Jean David, usually called David d’Angers, was on born March 12, 1788, in Angers, France. As a young man, he worked in the Paris studio of sculptor Philippe-Laurent Roland. In 1811, he won the Prix de Rome, which funded study in Rome. While in Italy he studied the antiquities and met sculptor Andrea Canova. Both Canova and Roland worked in the neoclassical style, but d’Angers was innovative in his naturalism and romanticism. In 1826, d’Angers was appointed professor of the French art academy, the �cole des Beaux-Arts. He was a prolific artist, creating numerous monuments, portrait busts and profile medallions. His other works in the Capitol include busts of President George Washington and General Lafayette. d’Angers' republican beliefs resulted in his exile after Napolean III's coup d’�tat in 1851, but he returned to France in 1853 and died there in 1856. The above was from https://www.aoc.gov/explore-capitol-campus/art/thomas-jefferson-statue
3. CAPROT_170828_085.JPG: Portrait Monument to Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony The Basics Artist: Adelaide Johnson Materials: Marble Year: 1920 Location: Capitol Rotunda The monument was presented to the U.S. Capitol as a gift from the women of the United States by the National Woman's Party and was accepted on behalf of Congress by the Joint Committee on the Library on February 10, 1921. The unveiling ceremony was held in the Capitol Rotunda on February 15, 1921, the 101st anniversary of the birth of Susan B. Anthony, and was attended by representatives of over 70 women's organizations. The Committee authorized the installation of the monument in the Crypt, where it remained on continuous display. In accordance with House Concurrent Resolution 216, which was passed by the Congress in September 1996, the sculpture was relocated to the Rotunda in May 1997. The portraits are copies of the individual busts Adelaide Johnson carved for the Court of Honor of the Woman's Building at the World's Columbian Exhibition in 1893. The detailed busts are surrounded by rough-hewn marble at the top of the sculpture. The monument originally consisted of three parts, the 14,000-pound sculpture itself and two rectangular stone base slabs. The black Belgian marble base and the white Carrara marble base were donated by Johnson in 1925. However, the black marble base arrived broken and was not replaced by the artist until 1929. In 1930 both pieces were installed, completing the artist's design. The total weight of the monument and its two bases was approximately 26,000 pounds. To allow safe placement in the Rotunda, the marble base slabs were replaced with lighter structures designed to resemble them. From left to right the figures represent: Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1815-1902), president of the National Woman Suffrage Association from 1865 to 1893; author of the woman's bill of rights, which she read at the Seneca Falls, New York, convention in 1848; first to demand the vote for women. Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906), abolitionist, temperance advocate, and later president of the National American Woman Suffrage Association, who joined with Stanton in 1851 to promote woman suffrage; proposed the constitutional amendment passed many years after her death. Lucretia Mott (1793-1880), Quaker reformer and preacher, who worked for abolition, peace, and equality for women in jobs and education; organizer of the 1848 Seneca Falls, New York, convention, which launched the women's rights movement. The above was from https://www.aoc.gov/explore-capitol-campus/art/portrait-monument-mott-stanton-anthony
4. CAPROT_170828_117.JPG: God has been good to America, especially during difficult times. At the time of the Civil War, he gave us Abraham Lincoln. And at the time of Watergate, he gave us Gerald Ford -- the right man at the right time who was able to put our nation back together again. -- The Honorable Thomas P. "Tip" O'Neill, speaker, U.S. House of Representatives
5. CAPROT_170828_141.JPG: Embarkation of the Pilgrims One of four scenes of early exploration in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda. The Basics Artist: Robert W. Weir Materials: Oil on canvas Year: 1843 Dimensions: 12' x 18' Location: Capitol Rotunda This painting depicts the Pilgrims on the deck of the ship Speedwell on July 22, 1620, before they departed from Delfs Haven, Holland, for North America, where they sought religious freedom. They first sailed to Southampton, England, to join the Mayflower, which was also making the voyage. After leaks forced the Speedwell to make additional stops in Dartmouth and then Plymouth, its passengers boarded the Mayflower. Five months later the Pilgrims settled the Plymouth Colony in present-day Massachusetts. The group appears solemn and contemplative of what they are about to undertake as they pray for divine protection through their voyage; the words "God with us" appear on the sail in the upper left corner. The figures at the center of the composition are William Brewster, holding the Bible; Governor Carver, kneeling with head bowed and hat in hand; and pastor John Robinson, with extended arms, looking Heavenward. Gathered around them are the men, women, and children going on the voyage. Some are dressed in traditional puritan attire while others wear more fanciful and bright garments. The armor, helmet, and musket in the foreground represent the tools that the Pilgrims will use for protection in the new and unfamiliar land. In the background on the right are the city and people the Pilgrims leave, and on the left a rainbow represents the hope and promise of what lies ahead. Embarkation of the Pilgrims is Robert Weir's most famous work. Initially, Weir had intended to paint a scene depicting the Mayflower Compact. However, the same subject was proposed by artist and inventor Samuel F. B. Morse, who also sought a commission for one the Rotunda paintings. While Morse did not receive a commission, Weir out of respect chose instead to the paint the embarkation from Delfts Haven. Weir's depiction of the event was drawn from Nathaniel Morton's New-England's Memorial of 1669 and, perhaps, Cotton Mather's Magnalia Christi Americana. The armor and costumes Weir collected in Europe were sources for the garments worn by those depicted. The painting was completed in July 1843 and was first seen by the Corps of Cadets at the United States Military Academy at West Point, where Weir was an instructor. The painting then traveled to Boston, New York, and Philadelphia and was hung in the U.S. Capitol in December that same year. The painting has undergone various cleaning, repair, and restoration treatments. In November 1860, the painting was damaged by a falling beam during the construction of the new dome, scraping the painting and causing a hole near the foot of Miles Standish. The War Department detailed Weir from West Point to make the needed repairs. The painting has since undergone periodic cleaning and restoration, including relining and varnishing. All of the Rotunda paintings were most recently cleaned in 2008. The Artist Robert Walter Weir was born in New York City on June 18, 1803. He was a largely self-taught artist who had some formal instruction but developed his skills through first copying pictures and later traveling to Europe to study the art of Florence and Rome. He spent much of his career as an instructor at the United States Military Academy at West Point, where he was appointed Instructor of Drawing in 1834 and promoted to Professor in 1846; after forty-two years at the Academy, he retired in 1876 and set up a studio in New York City. In 1857, Weir painted a smaller version of Embarkation of the Pilgrims, which is now in the Brooklyn Museum of Art. In the later work, Weir made changes in light and details and achieved greater focus on the three central figures by giving them fuller faces and broader shoulders. Engravings of this later painting have appeared on the reverses of several U. S. currency notes, including a $50 bank note and the $10,000 Federal Reserve note, the largest denomination ever issued to the general public. He painted and exhibited portraits, landscapes, and genre scenes throughout his life—for example, Portrait of Walter Weir (1853), View of the Hudson River (1864), and The Greenwich Boat Club (1833). Weir married Louisa Ferguson in 1829 and later, after her death, married Susan Martha Bayard. He was the father of sixteen children, including artists John Ferguson Weir and Julian Alden Weir. Robert Weir died on May 1, 1889, and is buried at West Point. The above was from https://www.aoc.gov/explore-capitol-campus/art/embarkation-pilgrims
6. CAPROT_170828_145.JPG: Ronald Wilson Reagan Statue The Basics Artist: Chas Fagan Materials: Bronze Year: 2009 Location: Capitol Rotunda This statue of President Ronald Wilson Reagan was donated to the National Statuary Hall Collection by California in 2009. Ronald Wilson Reagan was born on February 6, 1911, in Tampico, Illinois; was graduated from Eureka College in 1932; and became a radio sports announcer. In 1937, he began a 29-year acting career that included over 60 films and dozens of television programs. From 1940 until 1948 he was married to actress Jane Wyman, with whom he had two children. In the army during World War II, his nearsightedness kept him from combat duty, so he worked in the training-film unit for three years. After the war he returned to Hollywood, and in 1947–1952 and 1959–1960 he served as president of the Screen Actors Guild. In 1952, he wed actress Nancy Davis; the couple had two children and remained married for the rest of his life. Running as a Republican, Reagan was elected governor of California in 1966 and re-elected in 1970. In 1980, he was elected president of the United States; he was re-elected in 1984. In 1994, five years after leaving office, Reagan was diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease. On June 5, 2004, he passed away at the age of 93. His body lay in repose at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, and then lay in state in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda. After a state funeral at Washington National Cathedral on June 11, his body was interred at the Reagan Library. The Statue The former president is depicted as he looked during his term in office, 1981 to 1989. He appears to stand tall but relaxed, a genial and confident smile on his face. He wears his preferred custom-made single-breasted suit and a striped necktie; his right arm is by his side and his left hand rests atop a square column. The torch that appears in low relief on the column suggests the torch of the Statue of Liberty, to which Reagan often referred in speeches as "the torch of freedom" or "Liberty's flame." Eagles decorate the corners of the capital. Reagan's feet are slightly splayed, and the toe of his right shoe overhangs the self base. The Tennessee Rose marble pedestal, designed by architect James McCrery, includes a narrow band of concrete pieces from the Berlin Wall, the scene of the 1987 speech in which Reagan demanded of the Soviet Premier, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" The front of the pedestal is inscribed with Reagan's name, his life dates and the state name California. On the right and left sides are bronze reliefs of the seals of the offices he held, governor of the State of California and president of the United States; inscribed below them are his terms of service. A bronze plaque on the rear of the pedestal bears a quotation from Reagan's speech at the 1992 Republican National Convention: "America's best days are yet to come. Our proudest moments are yet to be. Our most glorious achievements are just ahead." The California legislature and governor delegated responsibility for the creation of the statue to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library Foundation, which selected sculptor Chas Fagan and oversaw the design and approval process. This was the second instance of a state's replacing a previously donated statue since such action was authorized by the Congress in 2000 under Public Law 106-554 (40 U.S.C. 187a). The statue was unveiled in the United States Capitol Rotunda on June 3, 2009 (pictured above). The Sculptor Chas Fagan is a self-taught artist who grew up in Brussels, Belgium, where he visited museums and sketched the works of great European masters; he later graduated magna cum laude from Yale University with a degree in Russian and East European studies. He has painted portraits of Mrs. Barbara Bush, President Reagan, Speaker of the House Tom Foley, and a complete set of presidents for C-SPAN's American Presidents. He has completed sculptural portraits of President George H. W. Bush; Revolutionary War General Nathanael Greene; and, for the National Cathedral, John Donne, Rosa Parks, and Mother Theresa. The above was from https://www.aoc.gov/explore-capitol-campus/art/ronald-wilson-reagan-statue
7. CAPROT_170828_154.JPG: Chas Fagan, 2008 Chas Fagan From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Chas Fagan is an American artist and sculptor. He is known for painting oil portraits of all 45 U.S. Presidents (as of 2016), on commission from C-SPAN and the White House Historical Association. He also painted the official canonization image of Mother Teresa on commission from the Knights of Columbus, basing his work on a photograph by Michael Collopy. His other works include portraits, landscapes and still life, along with sculptures related to American historical figures. His work was featured in the American Presidents: Life Portraits exhibition in 1999, and in other venues.
8. CAPROT_170828_167.JPG: Dwight D. Eisenhower Statue The Basics Artist: Jim Brothers Materials: Bronze Year: 2003 Location: Capitol Rotunda This statue of Dwight Eisenhower was given to the National Statuary Hall Collection by Kansas in 2003. Dwight David Eisenhower was born in Denison, Texas, on October 14, 1890. His family moved to Abilene, Kansas, when he was less than a year old. Throughout school he distinguished himself as an athlete, and was a star halfback at the Military Academy at West Point until a knee injury ended his football career. He graduated in 1915 and was stationed in San Antonio, Texas, where he met his future wife, Mamie Doud. During World War I Eisenhower wished to lead troops in France, but because of his skills as an instructor he was kept stateside. He next attended the army's Tank School; served in the Panama Canal Zone; and continued his education at the Command and General Staff School (graduating first in a class of 275) and the Army War College. Noted as an outstanding staff officer, he next served in the Philippines as assistant to General Douglas MacArthur. A series of increasingly responsible assignments and promotions followed, and in June 1942 Eisenhower was given command of all U.S. forces in the European Theater of Operations. He directed the invasions of Africa, Sicily and Italy and then was called to take command of Supreme Headquarters, Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF), in preparation for the invasion of France. After the success of the D-Day landing, he continued to direct the Allied forces through the end of the war. Eisenhower commanded the occupation forces for six months and then succeeded General George C. Marshall as Army chief of staff. He resisted appeals to run for political office, served for a year as president of Columbia University, and then was selected to command NATO military forces. In 1952 he accepted the Republican presidential nomination and was elected the nation's 34th president; he was reelected in 1956. The campaign slogan "I Like Ike" reflected widespread appreciation of Eisenhower's sincerity, generosity and kindness. His time in office saw the end of the Korean War, the continuation of the Cold War, and the beginning of school desegregation. After leaving office he was respected as an elder statesman and remained popular among Americans. He died on March 28, 1969, and is buried in Abilene, Kansas. The above was from https://www.aoc.gov/explore-capitol-campus/art/dwight-d-eisenhower-statue
9. CAPROT_170828_177.JPG: (c) 2002 Jim Brothers Jim Brothers From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jim Brothers (August 15, 1941 – August 20, 2013) was an American figurative sculptor from the U.S. state of Kansas. He died at the age of 72 at his home in Lawrence, Kansas, where he had received hospice care for cancer. His wife Kathy said he completed his final piece, a tribute to William Inge, "literally days before he died."
10. CAPROT_170828_181.JPG: Discovery of the Mississippi by De Soto One of four scenes of early exploration in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda. The Basics Artist: William H. Powell Materials: Oil on canvas Year: 1855 Dimensions: 12' x 18' Location: Capitol Rotunda William Henry Powell's dramatic and brilliantly colored canvas was the last of the eight large historical paintings in the Rotunda commissioned by the Congress. It shows Spanish conquistador and explorer Hernando De Soto (1500–1542), riding a white horse and dressed in Renaissance finery, arriving at the Mississippi River at a point below Natchez on May 8, 1541. De Soto was the first European documented to have seen the river. As De Soto and his troops approach, the Native Americans watch warily but quietly before their tepees, and a chief holds out the pipe of peace. The central area of the painting is filled with light and color, set off in dramatic relief by the foreground figures in shadow, and the dark forest at the left contrasts strongly with the bright sky on the right. In the foreground, weapons, armor, artillerymen moving a cannon, and a soldier wrapping a wounded leg suggest the attack by Indians that took place the day before. To the right, a monk prays as men set a newly constructed crucifix in the ground. Above this group and fading to the horizon is the Mississippi River, dotted with native canoes, small islands, and a tree being borne downstream; the lightly forested opposite bank is visible along the skyline. Powell based his scene on published accounts and histories, including Theodore Irving’s 1835 The Conquest of Florida by Hernando de Soto. A year later, after De Soto died of a fever, his body was buried in the river, as shown in Constantino Brumidi's frescoed Frieze of American History above the painting. Engravings of Discovery of the Mississippi by De Soto have appeared on the reverse of two United States bank notes: a $10 note in the 1860s and a $500 note in the 1918 series. The painting has undergone various cleaning, revarnishing, repair and restoration treatments since its installation. In 1982 the painting was lined to an aluminum panel to help it resist the effects of changes in temperature and humidity. All of the Rotunda paintings were most recently cleaned in 2008. The Artist American painter William Henry Powell (1823–1879) was the last artist commissioned by the Congress to create a painting for the Capitol Rotunda. He replaced Henry Inman, his former teacher, who was commissioned to fill one of the frames in the Rotunda, but who died in 1846 before completing his painting showing Daniel Boone emigrating to Kentucky. Powell, who chose a different subject, worked on the painting in Paris from 1848 to 1853, basing the Spaniards’ costumes and equipment on specimens in the Museum of Artillery. He had a color lithograph made of the painting and exhibited the canvas in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Baltimore, Maryland; and New York City before bringing it to Washington, D.C. Powell was born in New York City on February 14, 1823, and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, from infancy. His youthful interest in art was encouraged by a local philanthropist, and he received instruction. At the age of seventeen he returned to New York, where he became a pupil of Henry Inman, and he later studied art in Italy for three years. Initially recognized for his portraits, he moved into the field of history painting, which led to his work for the Rotunda. The success of Discovery of the Mississippi by De Soto led the Ohio legislature to commission him to paint The Battle of Lake Erie (1873), a scene of Commodore Perry’s famous victory. This work, still displayed in the Ohio Statehouse, prompted the Congress to commission a larger version, which hangs in the east Senate Grand Staircase in the Capitol. Powell’s other history paintings include The Siege of Vera Cruz, The Landing of the Pilgrims and Washington at Valley Forge. His portraits include depictions of Washington Irving, Peter Stuyvesant, and General George B. McClellan. He died in New York on October 6, 1879. The above was from https://www.aoc.gov/explore-capitol-campus/art/discovery-mississippi-de-soto
11. CAPROT_170912_011.JPG: Ulysses S. Grant Statue The Basics Artist: Franklin Simmons Materials: Marble Year: 1899 Location: Capitol Rotunda This statue depicts American general and president Ulysses S. Grant in the uniform of the Union army. On his shoulders are four stars denoting him as "General of the Army of the United States," a rank that he was the first to hold. Ulysses S. Grant was born Hiram Ulysses Grant on April 27, 1822, in Point Pleasant, Ohio. Appointed to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1839, he arrived to learn that he had been erroneously enrolled as Ulysses Simpson (his mother’s maiden name) Grant. The roll could not be corrected, so Grant changed his name. Upon graduation he was posted near St. Louis, where he met his future wife, Julia Dent. After distinguished service in the Mexican War and at several garrison postings, he resigned his commission in 1854. Volunteering to return to service in the Union cause after the start of the Civil War, Grant held a series of increasingly responsible commands and was the strategist of victories that earned him national attention. He also earned the respect of President Abraham Lincoln, and his achievements at Shiloh, Vicksburg, Chattanooga, and Appomattox were decisive in the course and outcome of the war. After the war, Grant initially supported the reconstruction of the South but grew disenchanted to the point of supporting President Andrew Johnson’s impeachment. Running as a Republican for president, he was easily elected in 1868 and re-elected in 1872. His political inexperience and misplaced trust in unscrupulous advisers, however, led to scandal despite his own innocence of corruption. After leaving office he toured the world with his family and unsuccessfully sought the presidential nomination in 1880. A partnership in a brokerage firm that failed left him bankrupt. He spent the last months of his life writing his war memoirs, which were published posthumously by Mark Twain and ultimately earned his family $450,000. Grant died of throat cancer on July 23, 1885, and is entombed with his wife in New York City, in a mausoleum on Manhattan overlooking the Hudson River. The Statue In Grant's statue, he looks slightly to his left with a serious expression. On his shoulders are four stars denoting him as "General of the Army of the United States," a rank that he was the first to hold. A cape is draped over his left forearm, and his left hand holds the grip and guard of a sheathed sword. His right arm, with gloved hand, hangs by his side. Over his trousers are knee-high boots, and his left foot comes to the front of the self base. The tree stump behind his right leg provides support for the statue. On the front of the self base is inscribed "GEN. U. S. GRANT"; at the front of the proper right side is inscribed "FRANKLIN SIMMONS / FECIT 1899." The right and left sides of the pedestal are inscribed "PRESENTED BY / THE GRAND ARMY / OF THE REPUBLIC"; the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was an organization of Union Army veterans. On the front of the pedestal, crossed bronze laurel and oak branches (symbolic of victory and strength, respectively) underlie a bronze relief plaque depicting the GAR badge in the form of a medal. The Sculptor Sculptor Franklin Simmons, born in Maine in 1839, developed an early interest in painting and sculpture. After college he moved to Washington, D.C., where he sculpted relief portrait busts of cabinet members and military officers. In 1867, he moved with his wife to Rome and established a studio; except for occasional trips back to the United States, he remained there for the rest of his life. Working in the neoclassical style, he created statues and busts of figures from public life, mythology, and literature. He was commissioned by the Grand Army of the Republic to sculpt a statue of General Grant to be given to the Congress, and legislation passed in 1890 authorized its acceptance. The first statue that Simmons created was not approved because it was not a good likeness; he sent a second version in 1899, and it was placed in the Rotunda in 1900. His other works on Capitol Hill include Peace Monument on the Capitol Grounds; statues of William King, Francis Harrison Pierpont, and Roger Williams in the National Statuary Hall collection; and busts of Vice Presidents Charles W. Fairbanks, Hannibal Hamlin and Adlai E. Stevenson in the United States Senate collection. Simmons died in Rome in 1913. The above was from https://www.aoc.gov/explore-capitol-campus/art/ulysses-s-grant-statue
12. CAPROT_170912_044.JPG: Andrew Jackson Statue The Basics Artist: Belle Kinney and Leopold F. Scholz Materials: Bronze Year: 1928 Location: Capitol Rotunda This statue of Andrew Jackson was given to the National Statuary Hall Collection by Tennessee in 1928. The seventh president, Andrew Jackson was born in Waxhaw, South Carolina, on March 15, 1767. Later known as "Old Hickory," he was captured during the Revolution at the age of 9 and orphaned when 14. Admitted to the bar in 1787, he was appointed prosecuting attorney for the west district of North Carolina in 1788. Jackson was a delegate to the Tennessee constitutional convention in 1796, a U.S. representative from 1796 to 1797, a U.S. senator in 1797, a member of the Tennessee Supreme Court from 1798 to 1804, and a major general in the Tennessee militia. Because of political feuds and several duels, Jackson retired to his plantation, "The Hermitage," for six years. During the War of 1812, he was commissioned a major general in the U.S. Army and became a hero, defeating the British at the Battle of New Orleans in 1815. Jackson invaded Spanish-held Florida in 1818; following Florida's cession to the United States, he served as its territorial governor in 1821. Jackson returned to Tennessee, serving as U.S. senator from 1823 to 1825. Campaigning as "champion of the popular majority," Jackson was elected president in 1828 and served two terms. He died on June 8, 1845, in Nashville. The above was from https://www.aoc.gov/explore-capitol-campus/art/andrew-jackson-statue
13. CAPROT_170912_073.JPG: Alexander Hamilton by Horatio Stone
14. CAPROT_170912_103.JPG: George Washington Statue The Basics Artist: Jean Antoine Houdon Materials: Bronze Year: 1934 Location: Capitol Rotunda This statue of George Washington was given to the National Statuary Hall Collection by Virginia in 1934. George Washington was born in Westmoreland County, Virginia, on February 22, 1732. After his father's death in 1743, he lived chiefly at Mount Vernon and worked as a surveyor. Sent by Governor Dinwiddie in 1753 to warn the French against encroaching on land in the Ohio Valley, he served in the French and Indian War as a lieutenant colonel. He was obliged to surrender Fort Necessity on July 3, 1754; distinguished himself in the engagement known as Braddock's Defeat on July 9, 1755; and participated in the capture of Fort Duquesne in 1758. He inherited Mount Vernon from his half-brother Lawrence in 1752. He married Martha Custis on January 6, 1759, and entered the Virginia House of Burgesses that same year. A leader in the movement for independence, he was a delegate to the First and Second Continental Congresses. On June 15, 1775, he was chosen to command the Continental Army, and he assumed his duties on July 3, 1775. He took leave of his officers at Fraunces' Tavern, New York, on December 4, 1783, and retired to Mount Vernon. Returning to public life, he attended the Annapolis Convention in 1786 and presided over the Constitutional Convention in 1787. Unanimously elected the first President of the United States, he was inaugurated in New York on April 30, 1789, served for two terms, and declined a third. When war with France threatened in 1798, he was called from retirement as commander in chief, but hostilities were averted. He died on December 14, 1799, and is buried at Mount Vernon. The above was from https://www.aoc.gov/explore-capitol-campus/art/george-washington-statueXXX
15. CAPROT_170912_112.JPG: Martin Luther King Jr. Bust The Basics Artist: John Wilson Materials: Bronze Year: 1986 Dimensions: 36" high on a 66" high base Location: Capitol Rotunda Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK Jr.) born in 1929 to a family of pastors and civil rights leaders, received a B.A. degree from Morehouse College in 1948, a B.D. degree from Crozer Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania in 1951 and a Ph.D. from Boston University in 1955. He returned to Montgomery, Alabama, to work for civil rights while serving as pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church. Already a member of the executive committee of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), he gained national recognition as a leader of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. In 1957, he founded and was elected president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. He traveled extensively, giving over 2,500 speeches, and wrote five books as well as numerous articles. During his 1963 incarceration in Alabama he wrote his famous "Letter from a Birmingham Jail." He planned drives in Alabama for the registration of African-Americans as voters; he directed the peaceful march on Washington, D.C., of 250,000 people, to whom he delivered his "I Have a Dream" address in 1963; and he counseled Presidents John Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson. His actions brought about consideration and passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, Dr. King was the youngest man to receive that honor. On April 4, 1968, while standing on the balcony of his motel room in Memphis, Tennessee, he was assassinated. The Bust The bust of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s head and shoulders depicts Dr. King in a contemplative and peaceful mood, looking slightly downward. His face is smoothly modeled, in contrast to the textures of his hair and of his jacket and tie. The pedestal was designed by the sculptor to follow the lines of the shoulders of the bust, creating a unified shape and enhancing the monumental effect. The bronze sculpture is 36 inches high on a 66-inch high Belgian black marble base. On December 21, 1982, the Congress passed House Concurrent Resolution 153, which directed the procurement of a marble bust "to serve to memorialize [Dr. King's] contributions on such matters as the historic legislation of the 1960s affecting civil rights and the right to vote." Senator Charles McC. Mathias, Chairman of the Joint Committee on the Library, the congressional committee overseeing the procurement, said at the unveiling that "Martin Luther King takes his rightful place among the heroes of this nation." Because the bust would be such an important and visible work of art, the Joint Committee on the Library decided to have a national competition to select a sculptor. The competition was conducted by the National Endowment for the Arts, using a panel selection process that the Endowment had successfully developed over the previous 20 years. Mrs. Coretta Scott King agreed to serve on the advisory committee and to advise the panel of "the salient qualities of Dr. King's character and physical expression which the Panel should consider in evaluating the qualifications of the competitors." In December 1984, the panel selected John Wilson of Boston, Massachusetts; Elizabeth Catlett of New York City and Mexico; and Zenos Frudakis of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as finalists in the competition. Each sculptor received a $500 grant to create a maquette (i.e., a model) for the panel to review before making its final decision. The Chairman of the Arts Endowment was proud to point out that "this was the first time that Arts Endowment was asked by Congress to prove the expertise of its peer review process, which specifies artistic excellence as its primary criterion to select an artist to create a work of art to be placed in the U.S. Capitol." After reviewing the maquettes at a special meeting on April 15, 1985, the committee selected John Wilson; the artist was awarded a $50,000 commission to cast the model in bronze. The bust was unveiled in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol on January 16, 1986, the 57th anniversary of Dr. King's birth, by Mrs. King, accompanied by their four children and Dr. King's sister. The Sculptor African-American sculptor John Wilson was born in Roxbury, Massachusetts, in 1922. After graduating from Tufts University in 1947 he studied in Paris and Mexico City. He served as professor of art at Boston University from 1964 to 1986. He won prizes in national exhibitions from 1951 to 1969. His work is in the collections of the DeCordova Museum, the Smith Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, and the University of Wisconsin. His most notable work, Eternal Presence, is at the Museum of the National Center of Afro-American Artists in Boston. He also won the 1983 competition for the statue of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for Buffalo, New York. The above was from https://www.aoc.gov/explore-capitol-campus/art/martin-luther-king-jr-bust
16. CAPROT_170912_116.JPG: 1985 Wilson
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