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

DC -- U.S. Capitol (interior) -- Exhibition Hall:

Bruce Guthrie Photos Home Page: [Click here] to go to Bruce Guthrie Photos home page.

Description of Pictures: I had never spent much time in the exhibition hall because they didn't allow photography. When I popped in this time, though, people had their iPhones out and no one was stopping them. I asked a visitor services person about the no-photo rule and she said it was currently being reevaluated. She said they didn't know if the rule would be dropped entirely or just not enforced. But that's in the future, I said. So today... At which point she said, yeah, take pictures. So I did!

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Copyrights: All pictures were taken by amateur photographer Bruce Guthrie (me!) who retains copyright on them. Free for non-commercial use with attribution. See the [Creative Commons] definition of what this means. "Photos (c) Bruce Guthrie" is fine for attribution. (Commercial use folks including AI scrapers can of course contact me.) Feel free to use in publications and pages with attribution but you don't have permission to sell the photos themselves. A free copy of any printed publication using any photographs is requested. Descriptive text, if any, is from a mixture of sources, quite frequently from signs at the location or from official web sites; copyrights, if any, are retained by their original owners.

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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. CAPEH_221229_0024.JPG: This woman's place is in the House... the House of Representatives Bella Abzug
2. CAPEH_221229_0036.JPG: The Capitol Dome
3. CAPEH_221229_0046.JPG: Inside the Dome
4. CAPEH_221229_0059.JPG: Darlington Miniature Self-taught artist Jacob Eichholtz painted future Representative Isaac Darlington of Pennsylvania in 1806. Time took its toll before the House acquired the painting two centuries later. Conservators cleaned the piece in 2009.
5. CAPEH_221229_0061.JPG: Plaster Ceiling Design Close examination revealed an ornate design on the ceiling of the Senate Reception Room that was overpainted in the 1930s. Conservators created this model to show how they planned to restore the constellation of gold dots.
6. CAPEH_221229_0063.JPG: New Torch of Genius In 2020 stone carvers in Virginia crafted a reproduction of the torch. They used the same type of Georgie white marble as in the original 1916 sculpture. This is a replica of the recreated torch.
7. CAPEH_221229_0066.JPG: Original Torch of Genius Rain, snow, and freezing temperatures often damage stone sculptures. After a hundred years, this marble torch, from Apotheosis of Democracy on the House East Front pediment, has deteriorated beyond repair.
8. CAPEH_221229_0072.JPG: Dragon Head Decoration The Capitol was once brightly lit with more than 145 chandeliers made by the Philadelphia firm of Cornelius & Baker. Only two remain in use today. Restoration of one chandelier required recasting missing elements using molds from undamaged parts.
9. CAPEH_221229_0075.JPG: Maintaining and Preserving the Capitol
10. CAPEH_221229_0077.JPG: Tholos Baluster Workers removed this short cast-iron column from the Capitol Dome during a 2015-2016 renovation. Too badly damaged for restoration, it was replaced with a reproduction.
11. CAPEH_221229_0082.JPG: Patriotism Maryland sculptor Lee Oskar Lawrie designed three allegorical scenes -- Courage, Patriotism, and Wisdom -- for the remodeled Senate Chamber. Three artists used Lawrie's plaster models to carve the marble reliefs that were installed above doors in the Senate Chamber. Patriotism depicts a "typical citizen" leaving his plow to defend his country and an eagle the symbolizes vigilance and preparedness.
12. CAPEH_221229_0086.JPG: Rosa Parks The statue based on this model honors civil rights leader Rosa Parks. Her clothing and pose reference her act of civil disobedience when she refused to give up her seat on a segregated bus in 1955. The piece was the first full-length statue of an African American placed in the Capitol.
13. CAPEH_221229_0093.JPG: Chief Standing Bear Chief Standing Bear of the Ponca tribe represents Nebraska in the National Statuary Hall Collection. In 1879, he fought a court battle to affirm that Native Americans are "persons' under the law. Standing Bear famously testified, "The same God made us both. I am a man."
14. CAPEH_221229_0100.JPG: Art in the Capitol: A Changing View of America
15. CAPEH_221229_0106.JPG: Discovery on the Hudson River In 1866, landscape painter Albert Bierstadt successfully lobbies Congress to commission two paintings for the House Chamber; however, they came to an impasse on the price. Bierstadt completed the paintings anyway, then snuck into the House Chamber and hung them up. Congress finally purchased this piece three months later.
16. CAPEH_221229_0113.JPG: Visionaries Who Shaped the Capitol
17. CAPEH_221229_0115.JPG: Glass Plate Negative of Original Design for South Wing Instead of the time-consuming process of copying architectural drawings by hand, supervising engineer Captain Montgomery C. Meigs embraced a new technology: photography. In 1856, Meigs hired the Capitol's first photographer, John Wood.
18. CAPEH_221229_0122.JPG: Congressional Gold Medal, Awarded July 1, 2008 More than a century after Constantino Brumidi left his artistic mark on the Capitol, Congress recognized his invaluable contribution to the interiors that still delight visitors today. Congress awarded Brumidi the nation's highest civilian honor and named him "Artist of the Capitol."
19. CAPEH_221229_0128.JPG: The People Who Built and Decorated the Capitol
20. CAPEH_221229_0131.JPG: Marble Cutters Work on Column Shafts at the East Front of the Capitol THese pieces of marble came from a Maryland quarry and traveled to Washington, DC by train.
21. CAPEH_221229_0135.JPG: Potomac Marble For columns in the old House and Senate Chambers, Benjamin Henry Latrobe used a local breccia stone, often called Potomac marble, from a large deposit on the banks of the Potomac River. Worker Tags Workers restoring the Statue of Freedom in 1993 found dozens of metal tags left by their predecessors -- long-ago laborers leaving their mark.
22. CAPEH_221229_0141.JPG: Study for The Apotheosis of Washington While recognizable, Constantino Brumidi's study differs greatly from the final fresco he completed three years later. In this scene, North America is shown at the bottom, while the main scene -- George Washington surrounded by other Founders -- takes place in the clouds above.
23. CAPEH_221229_0145.JPG: What Makes the Capitol American?
24. CAPEH_221229_0149.JPG: George Washington Seal President George Washington received this seal to commemorate his role in laying the cornerstone of the Capitol the previous year. Inscribed are his initials, coat of arms, and Masonic symbols.
25. CAPEH_221229_0156.JPG: Capitol Cornerstone Ceremony This image shows President George Washington laying the cornerstone of the Capitol. Is is part of the mural series in the House wing known as the Cox Corridors, named for the artist Allyn Cox.
26. CAPEH_221229_0157.JPG: Masonic Triangle President George Washington, a freemason, used this ceremonial wooden triangle when he laid the cornerstone of the Capitol on September 18, 1793. Washington gave the items to fellow Masonic lodge members attending the ceremony.
27. CAPEH_221229_0162.JPG: An Enduring Symbol
28. CAPEH_221229_0169.JPG: Table Used during President Abraham Lincoln's Second Inauguration Commissioner of Public Buildings Benjamin B. French ordered this distinctive table made with extra iron from the recently cast Capitol Dome. Two years later, he loaned it to President Abraham Lincoln for his inauguration.
29. CAPEH_221229_0175.JPG: President Abraham Lincoln Delivering Second Inaugural Address in Front of the United States Capitol
30. CAPEH_221229_0190.JPG: Touchable Original Minton Tiles
31. CAPEH_221229_0200.JPG: Touchable Reproduction House Chamber Door Handle
32. CAPEH_221229_0205.JPG: East Entry to the House Chamber From 1855 to 1859, the Capitol had an onsite foundry used to cast practical and ornamental pieces, such as the bronze snake door handles.
33. CAPEH_221229_0208.JPG: Touchable Reproduction Bronze Railing Detail
34. CAPEH_221229_0216.JPG: Touchable Reproduction Sculpted Bronze Door Panel
35. CAPEH_221229_0218.JPG: Ceiling Star from the Senate Chamber The original ceiling over the Senate's current Chamber was made of cast iron and featured a central skylight framed by 32 decorative stars. The fire-resistant ceiling was innovative for its time but was ultimately replaced in 1949. This star was found in a private collection and purchased by the Senate as a record of the Chamber's original construction.
36. CAPEH_221229_0233.JPG: The Nation's Stage
37. CAPEH_221229_0247.JPG: Individuals Who Have Lain in State or Honor in the Capitol Rotunda or National Statuary Hall -- From https://www.aoc.gov/what-we-do/programs-ceremonies/lying-in-state-honor Lying in State or in Honor The U.S. Capitol has been considered the most suitable place for the nation to pay final tribute to its most eminent citizens by having their remains lay in state (in the case of government officials and military officers) or in honor (in the case of private citizens). No law, written rule, or regulation specifies who may lie in state; use of the U.S. Capitol Rotunda is controlled by concurrent action of the House and Senate. Any person who has rendered distinguished service to the nation may lie in state if the family so wishes and Congress approves. In the case of unknown soldiers, the president or the appropriate branch of the armed forces initiates the action. Since 1865, most services in the Rotunda have used the catafalque constructed for the coffin of Abraham Lincoln.
38. CAPEH_221229_0249.JPG: Henry Clay Lay in State July 1, 1852 ... Clay was the first person to lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda
39. CAPEH_221229_0251.JPG: Abraham Lincoln Lay in State April 19-21, 1865
40. CAPEH_221229_0253.JPG: Thaddeus Stevens Lay in State August 13-14, 1868
41. CAPEH_221229_0257.JPG: Charles Sumner Lay in State March 13, 1874
42. CAPEH_221229_0261.JPG: Henry Wilson Lay in State November 25-26, 1875
43. CAPEH_221229_0265.JPG: James A. Garfield Lay in State September 21-23, 1881 [ Blurry picture ]
44. CAPEH_221229_0268.JPG: William McKinley Lay in State September 17, 1901
45. CAPEH_221229_0270.JPG: John A. Logan Lay in State December 30-31, 1886
46. CAPEH_221229_0271.JPG: William McKinley Lay in State September 17, 1901
47. CAPEH_221229_0273.JPG: Pierre Charles L'Enfant Lay in State April 28, 1909
48. CAPEH_221229_0275.JPG: George Dewey Lay in State January 20, 1917
49. CAPEH_221229_0278.JPG: Unknown Soldier of World War I Lay in State November 9-11, 1921
50. CAPEH_221229_0280.JPG: Warren G. Harding Lay in State August 8, 1923
51. CAPEH_221229_0284.JPG: William H. Taft Lay in State March 11, 1930
52. CAPEH_221229_0286.JPG: John J. Pershing Lay in State July 18-19, 1948
53. CAPEH_221229_0289.JPG: Robert A. Taft Lay in State August 2-3, 1953
54. CAPEH_221229_0291.JPG: Unknown Soldiers of World War II and the Korean War Lay in State May 28-30, 1958
55. CAPEH_221229_0293.JPG: John F. Kennedy Lay in State November 24-25, 1963
56. CAPEH_221229_0299.JPG: Douglas MacArthur Lay in State April 8-9, 1964
57. CAPEH_221229_0301.JPG: Herbert Hoover Lay in State October 23-25, 1964
58. CAPEH_221229_0304.JPG: Dwight D. Eisenhower Lay in State March 30-31, 1969
59. CAPEH_221229_0307.JPG: Everett M. Dirksen Lay in State September 9-10, 1969
60. CAPEH_221229_0310.JPG: J. Edgar Hoover Lay in State May 3-4, 1972
61. CAPEH_221229_0313.JPG: Lyndon B. Johnson Lay in State January 24-25, 1973
62. CAPEH_221229_0317.JPG: Hubert H. Humphrey Lay in State January 14-15, 1978
63. CAPEH_221229_0319.JPG: Unknown Soldier of the Vietnam Era Lay in State May 25-28, 1994
64. CAPEH_221229_0326.JPG: Claude D. Pepper Lay in State June 1-2, 1989
65. CAPEH_221229_0330.JPG: Jacob J. Chestnut Lay in Honor July 28, 1998 [ Killed by an armed intruder into the Capitol. ]
66. CAPEH_221229_0332.JPG: John B. Gibson Lay in Honor July 28, 1998 [ Killed by an armed intruder into the Capitol. ]
67. CAPEH_221229_0334.JPG: Ronald W. Reagan Lay in State June 9-11, 2004
68. CAPEH_221229_0337.JPG: Rosa Parks Lay in Honor October 30-31, 2005 ... Parks was the first woman to lie in state or honor in the Capitol. [ I personally attended this one. ]
69. CAPEH_221229_0341.JPG: Gerald B. Ford, Jr. Lay in State December 20, 2006-January 2, 2007 [ I personally attended this one. ]
70. CAPEH_221229_0343.JPG: Daniel K. Inouye Lay in State December 20, 2012
71. CAPEH_221229_0345.JPG: Billy Graham Lay in Honor February 28-March 1, 2018
72. CAPEH_221229_0348.JPG: John S. McCain III Lay in State August 31, 2018
73. CAPEH_221229_0350.JPG: George H. W. Bush Lay in State December 3-5, 2018 [ I personally attended this one. ]
74. CAPEH_221229_0353.JPG: Elijah Cummings Lay in State in National Statuary Hall October 24, 2019
75. CAPEH_221229_0355.JPG: John Lewis Lay in State July 27-28, 2020 [ I personally attended this one which was held outside for peons like me. ] [ Blurry picture ]
76. CAPEH_221229_0359.JPG: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Lay in State in National Statuary Hall September 25, 2020
77. CAPEH_221229_0363.JPG: Brian D. Sicknick Lay in Honor February 2-3, 2021 Brian Sicknick was a US Capitol Police (USCP) officer who died in the line of duty on January 7, 2021, after defending Congress and the Capitol on January 6. Officer Sicknick joined the USCP in 2008 and previous served six years in the New Jersey Air National Guard. He was the third USCP officer to lie in honor.
78. CAPEH_221229_0364.JPG: William F. Evans Lay in Honor April 13, 2021 William "Billy" Evans was a US Capitol Police (USCP) officer who was killed in the line of duty on April 2, 2021, during an attack by a lone assailant near an entrance to the Capitol. Officer Evans joined the USCP in 2003 and was a member of the Capitol Division's First Responders Unit. He became the first person to lay in honor on the Lincoln catafalque.
79. CAPEH_221229_0368.JPG: Robert J. Dole Lay in State December 9, 2021
80. CAPEH_221229_0370.JPG: Harry M. Reid Lay in State January 12, 2022
81. CAPEH_221229_0372.JPG: Don Young Lay in State in National Statuary Hall March 29, 2022
82. CAPEH_221229_0375.JPG: Hershell W. "Woody" Williams Lay in Honor July 14, 2022
83. CAPEH_221229_0379.JPG: Artifact on Display The Lincoln Catafalque This catafalque was constructed in 1865 to support the casket of President Abraham Lincoln while the president's body lay in state in the Capitol Rotunda. It is a simple base of rough pine boards covered with black cloth. This cloth covering is similar to that used in 1865. The catafalque has been used for memorial ceremonies honoring presidents, senators, representatives, Supreme Court justices, and unknown soldiers. Lying in State versus Lying in Honor Government officials and members of the military receive the designation "lying in state." Private citizens "lie in honor." Both chambers must pass a concurrent resolution for the Rotunda to be used for this purpose.
84. CAPEH_221229_0387.JPG: Lincoln Catafalque A platform originally constructed in 1865 to support the casket of Abraham Lincoln while the president's body lay in state in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda. The Basics Materials: Pine Year: 1865 Location: Capitol Visitor Center The catafalque is a simple base of rough pine boards nailed together and covered with black cloth. Although the base and platform have occasionally been altered to accommodate the larger size of modern coffins and for the ease of the attending military personnel, it is basically the same today as it was in Lincoln's time. Presently the catafalque measures 7 feet 1 inch (216 cm) long, 2 feet 6 inches (76 cm) wide, and 2 feet (61 cm) high. The attached base is 8 feet 10 inches (269 cm) long, 4 feet 3� inches (131 cm) wide, and 2 inches (5 cm) high. The platform is 11 feet 1 inch (338 cm) long, 6 feet (183 cm) wide, and 9� inches (23.5 cm) high. The cloth covering the Lincoln catafalque has been replaced several times, but the style of the drapery is similar to that used in 1865. When not in use, the Lincoln catafalque is kept in a specially constructed display area in the Exhibition Hall of the Capitol Visitor Center. U.S. Capitol Services Since 1865, the Lincoln catafalque has been used for most of the lying in state services in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda. In the case of the Unknowns of World War II and the Korean War, an additional catafalque was built with the coffin of each at some point resting on the Lincoln catafalque. The Lincoln catafalque has not been used for most of those lying in honor: U.S. Capitol Police officers Jacob Chestnut and John Gibson in 1998 and Brian Sicknick in 2021, Rosa Parks in 2005, and Billy Graham in 2018. In 2021, U.S. Capitol Police Officer William Evans became the first person to lay in honor on the Lincoln catafalque. Other Use and Locations The Lincoln catafalque has also been used for services in the Supreme Court Building for the lying in repose of: * Justice Antonin Scalia; February 19, 2016 * Chief Justice William Rehnquist; September 6-7, 2005 * Justice Harry A. Blackmun; March 8, 1999 * Former Justice William J. Brennan Jr.; July 28, 1997 * Former Chief Justice Warren Earl Burger ; June 28, 1995 * Former Justice Thurgood Marshall; January 27, 1993 * Former Chief Justice Earl Warren; July 11-12, 1974 In 1996 it was used for the lying in state of Secretary of Commerce Ronald H. Brown at the Department of Commerce building. The above from https://www.aoc.gov/what-we-do/programs-ceremonies/lying-in-state-honor/lincoln-catafalque
85. CAPEH_221229_0390.JPG: Daniel Webster
86. CAPEH_221229_0392.JPG: Bible Used to Administer Oath of Office to Senators Every two years, newly elected and reelected senators are sworn into office by the vice president. The Constitution does not state that the oat of office must be taken using a religious text, but for more than 50 years (1827-1882), many senators chose to use this Bible when taking the oath.
87. CAPEH_221229_0397.JPG: "Sumner vs Brooks" Silver Goblet In 1856, Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts thundered against extending slavery to Kansas and denounced pro-slavery Senator Andrew Butler of South Carolina. Representative Preston Brooks of South Carolina, Butler's relative, responded by brutally beating Sumner in the Senate Chamber. The incident made Brooks a hero in the South and Sumner a martyr in the North. Brook's constituents presented him with this silver goblet.
88. CAPEH_221229_0407.JPG: Petition from the Women of Pennsylvania, January 2, 1845 Antislavery petitions, such as this one from women of Pennsylvania, flooded into Congress before the Civil War. Because the House's "gag rule" (1836-1844) prohibited members from taking them up, most petitions were set aside without debate.
89. CAPEH_221229_0410.JPG: John Quincy Adams's Ivory Cane Admirers gave Representative John Quincy Adams of Massachusetts this cane, a popular accessory of the day, to honor his fight against the "gag rule" that silenced antislavery petitions. The cane's Latin inscription translates as, "A man just and firm of purpose." The date was added after the rule was repealed on December 3, 1844.
90. CAPEH_221229_0414.JPG: Cherokee Petition in Protest of the New Echota Treaty, 1836 In 1835, several Cherokee leaders signed a treaty giving up tribal land in Georgia, making the way for slave-owning planters. Many Cherokee opposed the treaty and petitioned the Senate to reject it. The Senate's approval prompted the forced removal of Cherokee families to Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma), a journey known as the "Trail of Tears."
91. CAPEH_221229_0420.JPG: Map Showing Lands Assigned to Emigrant Indians West of Arkansas and Missouri
92. CAPEH_221229_0423.JPG: Resolution That All Petitions Relating to Slavery be Tables without Being Debated, Read of Referred, December 21, 1837 Hundreds of thousands of antislavery petitions flooded Congress in the 1830s. Pro-slavery members of the House first passed the "gag rule" in 1836 to prevent discussion of the petitions. The House continually renewed the rule until finally repealing it in 1844.
93. CAPEH_221229_0428.JPG: Speech upon the Subject of Slavery, March 7, 1850 In his "Seventh of March" speech, Senator Daniel Webster of Massachusetts hoped to unite his colleagues in support of the Compromise of 1850. Webster contended that slavery could not be eliminated but should not expand into the West. Moderated welcomed Webster's speech, but abolitionists charged him with betrayal. Compromise of 1850 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Compromise of 1850 was a package of five separate bills passed by the United States Congress in September 1850 that temporarily defused tensions between slave and free states in the years leading up to the American Civil War. Designed by Whig senator Henry Clay and Democratic senator Stephen A. Douglas, with the support of President Millard Fillmore, the compromise centered around how to handle slavery in recently acquired territories from the Mexican–American War (1846-48). The component acts: * approved California’s request to enter the Union as a free state * strengthened fugitive slave laws with the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 * banned the slave trade in Washington, D.C. (while still allowing slavery itself there) * defined northern and western borders for Texas while establishing a territorial government for the Territory of New Mexico, with no restrictions on whether any future state from this territory would be free or slave * established a territorial government for the Territory of Utah, with no restrictions on whether any future state from this territory would be free or slave
94. CAPEH_221229_0432.JPG: Congress Wrestles with Slavery
95. CAPEH_221229_0435.JPG: Confronting Regional Rivalries
96. CAPEH_221229_0447.JPG: Copper Badge Worn by Enslaved African Americans Before the Civil War, enslaved African Americans working in some cities -- in this case, Charleston, South Carolina -- had to wear small metal badges like this identifying the type of work they were authorized to do.
97. CAPEH_221229_0451.JPG: Martin Van Buren Peace Medal In the early 1800s, Congress regularly appropriated funds for "peace medals," such as this one portraying President Martin Van Buren. The medals were given to Indian leaders on visits or special occasions. They served as tokens of friendship with Native American nations, but these gifts were often followed by broken treaties and promises.
98. CAPEH_221229_0455.JPG: Proposed Amendment to Mexican War Funding Bill, August 8, 1846 The US gained vast territory following the Mexican-American War (1846-1848). Representative David Wilmot of Pennsylvania introduced this amendment -- the Wilmot Proviso -- to ban slavery in the newly acquired lands. It passed the House but failed in the Senate. Wilmot Proviso From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Wilmot Proviso was an unsuccessful 1846 proposal in the United States Congress to ban slavery in territory acquired from Mexico in the Mexican–American War. The conflict over the Wilmot Proviso was one of the major events leading to the American Civil War. Congressman David Wilmot of Pennsylvania first introduced the proviso in the House of Representatives on August 8, 1846, as a rider on a $2,000,000 appropriations bill intended for the final negotiations to resolve the Mexican–American War (this was only three months into the two-year war). It passed the House but failed in the Senate, where the South had greater representation. It was reintroduced in February 1847 and again passed the House and failed in the Senate. In 1848, an attempt to make it part of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo also failed. Sectional political disputes over slavery in the Southwest continued until the Compromise of 1850.
99. CAPEH_221229_0460.JPG: John Quincy Adams Memorial Ribbon
100. CAPEH_221229_0468.JPG: Hard Times Token The "Bank War" between Congress and President Andrew Jackson about whether to preserve the Bank of the United States contributed to a financial crisis in the 1830s. Protestors minted and used penny coins called "Hard Times Tokens," which often featured anti-Jackson messages. The "Bank War" helped unify Jackson's Democratic Party and contributed to the creation of the opposition Whig Party.
101. CAPEH_221229_0474.JPG: House Chamber Double Desk
102. CAPEH_221229_0480.JPG: House Chamber Chair
103. CAPEH_221229_0486.JPG: House Journal, 2nd Congress, 1st Session
104. CAPEH_221229_0490.JPG: Mahogany Cylinder-Fall Desk This is one of the nine desks crafted for the Supreme Court in 1831 for $40 each. The attorney general, court reporters, and clerks used these mahogany desks in the Capitol, where the Supreme Court met until a new building was constructed for the Court in 1935.
105. CAPEH_221229_0494.JPG: Northern Members Act Alone
106. CAPEH_221229_0497.JPG: Telegraph Key Using a telegraph key similar to this one, Samuel Morse sent the first telegraph message from the Capitol to Baltimore, Maryland, on May 24, 1844. The speed of telegraph technology made it possible for the nation to receive instant, real-time updates on congressional actions.
107. CAPEH_221229_0501.JPG: Gas-Lighting Torch
108. CAPEH_221229_0505.JPG: Union Pacific Railroad Lantern
109. CAPEH_221229_0509.JPG: Stool from House Reporters' Gallery
110. CAPEH_221229_0517.JPG: Congress's Early African American Members
111. CAPEH_221229_0519.JPG: Senator Hiram Revels of Mississippi Served in Office 1870-1871
112. CAPEH_221229_0522.JPG: Representative Joseph Rainey of South Carolina Served in Office 1870-1879
113. CAPEH_221229_0526.JPG: Senator Blanche K. Bruce of Mississippi Served in Office 1875-1881
114. CAPEH_221229_0527.JPG: Representative Robert Brown Elliott of South Carolina Served in Office 1871-1875
115. CAPEH_221229_0530.JPG: Representative Robert Smalls of South Carolina Served in Office 1875-1887
116. CAPEH_221229_0532.JPG: Representative George White of North Carolina Served in Office 1897-1901
117. CAPEH_221229_0534.JPG: Strengthening Congressional Leadership
118. CAPEH_221229_0539.JPG: Pushing America Westward and Beyond
119. CAPEH_221229_0542.JPG: Gallery Pass for Senate Impeachment Trial
120. CAPEH_221229_0545.JPG: Poll Tax Receipt, 1893 After the Civil War, Congress supported policies to empower and enfranchise African Americans. When Reconstruction ended in 1877, states across the South enacted "Jim Crow" laws to undermine those reforms. Election officials often changed fees known as poll taxes to block African Americans from voting.
121. CAPEH_221229_0548.JPG: Credentials of Hiram Revels, January 25, 1870
122. CAPEH_221229_0555.JPG: Charles Sumner
123. CAPEH_221229_0560.JPG: Senate Loyalty Oath Book In 1864 in the midst of the Civil War, Congress required members to take an "Ironclad Test Oath," swearing loyalty to the nation and affirming they had never engaged in disloyal conduct. In 1884 the disloyal clause was removed, leaving the simpler oath that members take today.
124. CAPEH_221229_0564.JPG: Senate Chamber Glass Clock Face
125. CAPEH_221229_0568.JPG: Oliver Platt Portfolio
126. CAPEH_221229_0572.JPG: Report of the Joint Committee on the Conduct of War Early military disasters in the Civil War prompted Congress to exercise its oversight powers by establishing the Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War. The committee investigated such concerns as southern sympathies of Union officers, exorbitant contracts, shoddy supplies, and the treatment of escaped enslaved persons.
127. CAPEH_221229_0597.JPG: House of Representatives Member Pin, 101st Congress (1989-1991)
128. CAPEH_221229_0610.JPG: House of Representatives Spouse Pin, 109th Congress (2005-2007)
129. CAPEH_221229_0611.JPG: A Full-Time Job
130. CAPEH_221229_0614.JPG: "The Kind of World I Want For My Child," March 1974 The growing number of women members has precipitated rule changes. In 1973, Representative Yvonne Braithwaite Burke of California became the first sitting member of Congress to give birth. She was followed by other members of the House and Senate, prompting each chamber to revise outdated policies.
131. CAPEH_221229_0640.JPG: Blackberry Wireless Handheld Device In the early 2000s -- before the smartphone era -- small email devices such as this BlackBerry transformed the way members communicated with each other, their staffs, journalists, and constituents.
132. CAPEH_221229_0649.JPG: Presidential Medal of Freedom Given to J. William Fulbright
133. CAPEH_221229_0655.JPG: Panic, Issue #2, April-May 1954 Concerns about juvenile delinquency rose in the 1950s, prompting one Senate committee to investigate whether popular comic books might be a cause. Senate investigators concluded that some publications normalized violence. Hoping to prevent congressional regulation, publishers voluntarily adopted a new ratings code.
134. CAPEH_221229_0658.JPG: "Crime Hunter Kefauver," March 12, 1951 At the dawn of the television age, Senator Estes Kefauver of Tennessee led a series of televised hearings into organized crime that drew more than 30 million viewers in 1951. The octopus on this Time cover symbolizes the Mob's tentacles spreading through society.
135. CAPEH_221229_0664.JPG: "Go Upstairs and Wash Your Hands" In the 1950 cartoon, Senator Margaret Chase Smith of Maine is portrayed as a mother scolding her Republican colleagues for remaining silent in the face of McCarthyism. Smith's "Declaration of Conscience" speech denounced McCarthyism as "a forum of hate and character assassination."
136. CAPEH_221229_0668.JPG: Senate Resolution 301 to Census Joseph McCarthy, July 30, 1954 In his anti-communism hearings, Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin made baseless allegations, berated witnesses, and insulted fellow senators. The Senate introduced this resolution of census -- amended to list specific charges -- then in December voted 67 to 22 to condemn McCarthy's actions.
137. CAPEH_221229_0671.JPG: House of Representatives Well Voting Cards Electronic voting in the House has not made paper entirely obsolete. If representatives want to change their votes after the time limit expires, they must go to the well of the House (in front of the rostrum) and submit a "well card."
138. CAPEH_221229_0679.JPG: (1) Senate Committee Hearing Witness Timer (2) Senate Light Panel (3) Electronic Voting Station
139. CAPEH_221229_0683.JPG: Providing for the Common Defense
140. CAPEH_221229_0686.JPG: Modernizing Congress
141. CAPEH_221229_0689.JPG: Ceremonial Armchair Charles Curtis of Kansas used this ornately carved chair in his office in the Senate Office Building (now the Russell Senate Office Building) while serving as vice president (1929-1933). An inscription -- in a combination of the Osage and Omaha alphabets -- reads "Go in the best of health, friend. This is our wish."
142. CAPEH_221229_0695.JPG: Charles Curtis
143. CAPEH_221229_0709.JPG: A Forum for All Americans
144. CAPEH_221229_0712.JPG: Jeannette Rankin Campaign Card In 1917, Representative Jeannette Rankin of Montana was sworn into office as the first woman in Congress, before women nationwide gained the right to vote. Two decades later, in 1940, she ran again and served a second House term. A dedicated pacifist, Rankin voted against US entry into both world wars.
145. CAPEH_221229_0733.JPG: A Forum for All Americans
146. CAPEH_221229_0738.JPG: Women Claim Their Place in Congress
147. CAPEH_221229_0747.JPG: The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, Yellowstone National Park Congress voted to make Yellowstone America's first national park in 1872. Members were inspired by artist Thomas Moran's sketches and paintings of the spectacular landscape made during his 1871 expedition to Yellowstone. Congress created more national parks, and in 1916 established the National Park Service to administer the park system.
148. CAPEH_221229_0751.JPG: National Woman's Party Voting Cards How did members of Congress vote on the Nineteenth Amendment (women's suffrage) and other issues? The National Woman's Party kept track as part of its efforts to persuade members to support their causes. These cards summarize the votes and positions of Representative Frederick Dallinger and Senator John Weeks, both of Massachusetts.
149. CAPEH_221229_0756.JPG: Briefcase belonging to Nelson Aldrich
150. CAPEH_221229_0765.JPG: Western Leaders Add Their Voices
151. CAPEH_221229_0776.JPG: New Mexico's Ratification of the Seventeenth Amendment, March 15, 1913
152. CAPEH_221229_0779.JPG: "Uncle Joe," First Issue of Time, March 3, 1923 The premier issue of Time featured a farewell tribute to the retiring Representative Joseph Cannon of Illinois, first elected in 1872. Cannon was arguably the most powerful Speaker of the House (1903-1911) in US history.
153. CAPEH_221229_0786.JPG: King James Bible Donated to the Official Reporters of Debates by Huey Long
154. CAPEH_221229_0793.JPG: National System of Interstate and Defense Highways
155. CAPEH_221229_0815.JPG: Immigration
156. CAPEH_221229_0817.JPG: Electoral College Ballot Boxes
157. CAPEH_221229_0827.JPG: Getting Down to Business
158. CAPEH_221229_0829.JPG: A New Federal Government
159. CAPEH_221229_0834.JPG: Congress Writes Its Own Rules
160. CAPEH_221229_0836.JPG: Credentials of Senator William Few of Georgia, February 5, 1789 Upon arrival at the Capitol, each new senator presented his credentials before being admitted to the chamber. Credentials confirmed a senator's election by his state legislature. Newly elected members of Congress continue to present their credentials today.
161. CAPEH_221229_0839.JPG: Congress Forms The Other Branches
162. CAPEH_221229_0843.JPG: Balcony Balustrade from Federal Hall, 1788 The first presidential inauguration took place in Congress's meeting place, Federal Hall. On April 30, 1789, Congress invited George Washington to take the presidential oath of office. He swore the oath on the balcony, overlooking the crowds on the street below. The 13 arrows in the balcony balustrade represent the nation of 13 states that Washington pledged to lead.
163. CAPEH_221229_0850.JPG: District of Columbia Boundary Stone, 1791 The 1790 Residence Act authorized the presidential commissioners to survey the boundaries of the new capital. In 1791, surveyor Andrew Ellicott and African American astronomer Benjamin Banneker began placing boundary stones at one-mile intervals. These marked the borders of what would become Washington, DC. Most of these stones can be found today near their original locations.
164. CAPEH_221229_0852.JPG: Map of the Proposed Federal District, March 31,1791 The 1790 Residence Act authorized the president to select the exact location of the new capital, to be called the District of Columbia. On March 30, 1791, President George Washington designated an area where the Anacostia River meets the Potomac. It included the existing cities of Alexandria, Virginia and Georgetown, Maryland.
165. CAPEH_221229_0856.JPG: Residence Bill, May 31, 1790 The tense debate over the location of the new capital gripped the First Congress for months. Senator Pierce Butler of South Carolina introduced the Residence Bill but left the location of the capitol blank. As part of the Compromise of 1790, the final act authorized the president to select a 100-square-mile site on the Potomac River.
166. CAPEH_221229_0858.JPG: A New Capital for a New Country
167. CAPEH_221229_0862.JPG: A Bill of Rights
168. CAPEH_221229_0864.JPG: Constitutional Conflicts
169. CAPEH_221229_0868.JPG: First Ten Amendments
170. CAPEH_221229_0869.JPG: Congress Over Time Creating Congress
171. CAPEH_221229_0872.JPG: Launching a New Government 1789-1820s
172. CAPEH_221229_0878.JPG: Westward Expansion, Slavery, and the Limits of Compromise 1820s-1860s
173. CAPEH_221229_0887.JPG: Rebuilding the Nation 1860s-1900s
174. CAPEH_221229_0897.JPG: Congress and the Foundation of Modern America 1900s-1940s
175. CAPEH_221229_0905.JPG: Congress in the Post-World War II Era 1940s-1970s
176. CAPEH_221229_0909.JPG: Adapting Traditional Roles to a Modern World Congress since the 1970s
177. CAPEH_221229_0918.JPG: Sam Rayburn Sam Rayburn of Texas served in the House for nearly half a century (1913-1961). The longest-serving Speaker, he was beloved for defending the House's constitutional role but he commanded less formal power as a result of the reforms made to rein in Speaker Joe Cannon in 1910. Artist Jimilu Mason sculpted this study for a planned -- but never completed -- statue of Rayburn wearing his trademark hat.
178. CAPEH_221229_0921.JPG: Republican Elephant and Democratic Donkey Sculpture Belonging to Gerald R. Ford
179. CAPEH_221229_0930.JPG: Joint Resolution for the Maintenance of Peace and Security in Southeast Asia, August 10, 1964 The Constitution gives Congress the sole power to declare war, which it has done 11 times. Congress has also passed resolutions authorizing presidents to use military force without a declaration, as it did in 1964 for Vietnam in this document known as the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution.
180. CAPEH_221229_0936.JPG: Engrossing Copy of HR 7152, the Civil Rights Act, ca February 1964 Congressional supporters of the 1964 Civil Rights Act anticipated that opponents would use a variety of procedures to kill the bill. This House version of the bill includes several amendments, including one banning sex discrimination. Opponents may have hoped this would cause the bill to fail, but it did not.
181. CAPEH_221229_0943.JPG: "The Johnson Treatment"
182. CAPEH_221229_0951.JPG: Pencil from Republican Women's GROW Program Congressional Gold Medal Honoring Edward Brooke Sam Ervin Fan Club Button Civil Rights Button
183. CAPEH_221229_0956.JPG: Roll Call 32, HR 7152, Civil Rights Act, February 10, 1964 This tally booklet of yeas and nays records the initial House vote on the Civil Rights Bill, which passed with strong bipartisan support. The Republican and Democratic floor managers steered the legislation through a slew of amendments that were intended to weaken the impact of the bill.
184. CAPEH_221229_0963.JPG: Congress Investigates
185. CAPEH_221229_0966.JPG: Passing the Civil Rights Act
186. CAPEH_221229_0969.JPG: Desk Used during the Signing of the 1965 Voting Rights Act
187. CAPEH_221229_0977.JPG: Pen Used by President Lyndon B. Johnson to Sign the 1965 Voting Rights Act
188. CAPEH_221229_0981.JPG: The Right to Vote
189. CAPEH_221229_0992.JPG: Buttons for and against Women's Suffrage
190. CAPEH_221229_0996.JPG: Poll Tax Receipt The Twenty-Fourth Amendment, passed by Congress in 1962 and ratified in 1964, made fees for voting illegal in federal elections.
191. CAPEH_221229_1009.JPG: Expanding Rights and Freedoms
192. CAPEH_221229_1016.JPG: Impact of Congress Congress in Everyday Life
193. CAPEH_221229_1020.JPG: Congress Creates the Courts
194. CAPEH_221229_1023.JPG: What is the Speaker's Role?
195. CAPEH_221229_1025.JPG: James Madison
196. CAPEH_221229_1030.JPG: Report of the Returns of the Whole Number of Persons in the United States
197. CAPEH_221229_1037.JPG: Henry Clay
198. CAPEH_221229_1041.JPG: Senate Revisions to the House Proposed Amendments to the Constitution, September 9, 1789 The Senate's marked up draft of the Bill of Rights shows edits to Articles Three and Four, combining them to form the First Amendment. It protects freedom of religion, speech, the press, and the right to assemble and petition.
199. CAPEH_221229_1048.JPG: Open to the Public
200. CAPEH_221229_1055.JPG: Early Congressional Leaders and Officers
201. CAPEH_221229_1060.JPG: Speaker of the House Frederick Muhlenberg
202. CAPEH_221229_1064.JPG: Clerk of the House John Beckley
203. CAPEH_221229_1068.JPG: House Sergeant at Arms Joseph Wheaton
204. CAPEH_221229_1071.JPG: House Doorkeeper Gifford Dalley
205. CAPEH_221229_1073.JPG: House Chaplain William Linn
206. CAPEH_221229_1076.JPG: President of the Senate and Vice President John Adams
207. CAPEH_221229_1081.JPG: President Pro Tempore of the Senate John Langdon
208. CAPEH_221229_1084.JPG: Secretary of the Senate Samuel Otis
209. CAPEH_221229_1087.JPG: Senate Doorkeeper and Sergeant at Arms James Mathers
210. CAPEH_221229_1089.JPG: Senate Chaplain Samuel Provoost
211. CAPEH_221229_1092.JPG: When Congress first met in 1789, the Constitution only identified presiding officers for the House and Senate. In creating other roles, members drew on their experiences with the Continental Congress, the state legislatures, and the British Parliament to establish administrative positions to keep records, order, and security.
212. CAPEH_221229_1096.JPG: Senate Chamber Desk
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