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_191106_008.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_191106_013.JPG: The painting is bubbling.
3. CAPROT_191106_022.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
4. CAPROT_191106_029.JPG: Surrender of General Burgoyne One of four revolutionary period scenes in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda. The Basics Artist: John Trumbull Materials: Oil on canvas Year: 1826 Dimensions: 12' x 18' Location: Capitol Rotunda The event shown in this painting is the surrender of British General John Burgoyne at Saratoga, New York on October 17, 1777. Burgoyne's surrender followed battles with American General Horatio Gates near Saratoga in September and October 1777. With the British losing men and defenses during both engagements, Burgoyne retreated with a weakened army to Saratoga, where he surrendered to General Gates. This turning point in the American Revolution prevented the British from dividing New England from the rest of the colonies, and it was the deciding factor in bringing active French support to the American cause. This painting depicts General Burgoyne prepared to surrender his sword to General Gates. Gates, showing respect for Burgoyne, refuses to take the sword and instead offers hospitality by directing Burgoyne to the tent to take refreshment; the American flag flies in the wind at the top of the tent. American officers gather at the sides to witness the event; their varied dress reflects their different units. In the center of the painting, and extending into the background, is Burgoyne's army along with its German reinforcements. They were directed to the camp by American Colonel Lewis, Quartermaster-General, who rides on horseback in the far distance. The scene suggests peace rather than combat or hostility: beneath blue sky and white clouds, officers wear their dress uniforms, weapons are sheathed or slung, and cannons stand silent. Burgoyne's surrender was among the subjects John Trumbull selected for a series of history paintings when he began to "meditate seriously the subjects of national history, of events of the Revolution," in 1785. In September of that year, Trumbull wrote his brother that he was thinking of scenes related to battles of Bunker’s Hill, Trenton, Saratoga, and Yorktown. In 1791, he sketched a landscape study for the surrender site at Saratoga. In creating the painting for the Capitol, he included the same large tree in the left foreground and many other topographical features but added more trees and autumnal leaves. Trumbull based most of the figures on portraits he painted from life in the early 1790s. The Surrender of General Burgoyne was completed in December 1821 and was exhibited in New York City from January to March of the following year. Trumbull performed the first cleaning and restoration of his Rotunda paintings in 1828, applying wax to their backs to protect them from dampness and cleaning and re-varnishing their surfaces. At the time, Trumbull also repaired damage to the right foot of Colonel Daniel Morgan (dressed in white and standing at the head of the officers gathered at the tent), which was cut out with a sharp instrument, most likely a penknife. Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries the painting was cleaned, restored, varnished, and relined. All of the Rotunda paintings were most recently cleaned in 2008. Between 1822 and 1832, Trumbull created a smaller version of this painting that is now part of the collection of Yale University Art Gallery. The painting in the Capitol and the later version are similar in composition but differ in details. In the later version Trumbull made changes to the facial features and expressions of figures, the direction the flag blows, and the topography of the landscape. It was Trumbull’s version for the U.S. Capitol that appeared on a $1.00 stamp in 1994. The above was from https://www.aoc.gov/explore-capitol-campus/art/surrender-general-burgoyne
5. CAPROT_191106_116.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_191106_138.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
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