The United States Capitol displays public artworks by a variety of artists, including the National Statuary Hall Collection and United States Senate Vice Presidential Bust Collection.
The United States Capitol displays public artworks by a variety of artists, including the National Statuary Hall Collection and United States Senate Vice Presidential Bust Collection.
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Sculptures include those within the National Statuary Hall Collection and United States Senate Vice Presidential Bust Collection. Other sculptures include a bust of Martin Luther King Jr., the Columbus Doors, and the Revolutionary War Door.
The National Statuary Hall Collection is composed of statues donated by individual U.S. states to honor persons notable in their history. Limited to two statues per state, the collection was originally set up in the old Hall of the House of Representatives, which was then renamed National Statuary Hall. The expanding collection has since been spread throughout the Capitol and its Visitor Center.
Other sculptures under the control of the Architect of the Capitol include the following: [1]
| Honoree | Medium | Sculptor | Date placed | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abraham Lincoln | Marble | Vinnie Ream | 1871 | Rotunda |
| Alexander Hamilton | Marble | Horatio Stone | 1868 | Rotunda |
| Martin Luther King Jr. | Bronze | John Woodrow Wilson | 1986 | Rotunda |
| Edward Dickinson Baker | Marble | Horatio Stone | 1876 | Hall of Columns |
| Sojourner Truth | Bronze | Artis Lane | 2009 | Capitol Visitor Center |
| James Madison | Marble | Walker Hancock | 1976 | James Madison Memorial Building |
| Portrait Monument to Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony | Marble | Adelaide Johnson | 1920 | Rotunda |
| Thomas Jefferson | Bronze | Pierre-Jean David d’Angers | 1834 | Rotunda |
| Ulysses S. Grant | Marble | Franklin Simmons | 1899 | Rotunda |
| Rosa Parks | Bronze | Eugene Daub | 2013 | National Statuary Hall |
| Frederick Douglass | Bronze | Steven Weitzman | 2013 | Capitol Visitor Center [2] |
| John Marshall | Bronze | William Wetmore Story | 1884 | Capitol Grounds, West Front |
| Robert A. Taft | Bronze | Wheeler Williams | 1959 | Square 633, Capitol Grounds |
| Title | Medium | Sculptor | Date placed | Location | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Car of History | Marble | Carlo Franzoni | 1819 | National Statuary Hall | represents Clio, the muse of history |
| Liberty and the Eagle | Plaster | Enrico Causici | 1817–1819 | National Statuary Hall | |
| Statue of Freedom | Bronze | Thomas Crawford | 1863 | top of dome | |
| The Progress of Civilization [3] | Marble | Thomas Crawford | 1863 | Pediment over Senate Portico, East Front | |
| Apotheosis of Democracy [4] | Marble | Paul Wayland Bartlett | 1916 | Pediment, East Front | Figures of Peace protecting Genius surrounded by scenes representing Industry and Agriculture |
| Genius of America (1) | Sandstone | Luigi Persico | 1825–1828 | Pediment, East Central Entrance | America with Justice and Hope, duplicated and replaced by Genius of America (2) |
| Genius of America (2) | Marble | Bruno Mankowski | 1959–1960 | Pediment, East Central Entrance | duplicate in marble of Genius of America (1) |
| Fame and Peace Crowning George Washington (1) | Sandstone | Antonio Capellano | 1827 | East central portico, above the Rotunda doors | duplicated and replaced by Fame and Peace ... (2) |
| Fame and Peace Crowning George Washington (2) | Marble | G. Gianetti | 1959–1960 | East central portico, above the Rotunda doors | duplicate in marble of Fame and Peace ... (1) |
| Justice and History [5] | Marble | Thomas Crawford | 1863 | East Front | |
The National Statuary Hall Collection in the United States Capitol is composed of statues donated by individual states to honor persons notable in their history. Limited to two statues per state, the collection was originally set up in the old Hall of the House of Representatives, which was then renamed National Statuary Hall. The expanding collection has since been spread throughout the Capitol and its visitor center.
Jo Davidson was an American sculptor. Although he specialized in realistic, intense portrait busts, Davidson did not require his subjects to formally pose for him; rather, he observed and spoke with them. He worked primarily with clay, while the final products were typically cast in terra-cotta or bronze, or carved from marble.
Charles Henry Niehaus was an American sculptor.
The United States Capitol building features a central rotunda below the Capitol dome. Built between 1818 and 1824, the rotunda has been described as the Capitol's "symbolic and physical heart".
Franklin Bachelder Simmons was a prominent American sculptor of the nineteenth century. Three of his statues are in the National Statuary Hall Collection, three of his busts are in the United States Senate Vice Presidential Bust Collection, and his statue of Ulysses S. Grant is in the United States Capitol Rotunda.
Leopold Scholz (1877–1946) Austrian born American sculptor best known for his works in the National Statuary Hall Collection housed in the US Capitol in Washington D.C.
Steven Weitzman is an American public artist and designer known for his figurative sculptures, murals, and aesthetic designs for highway and bridge infrastructure projects.
Henry Clay is a 1929 bronze sculpture by Charles Henry Niehaus depicting the lawyer and politician Henry Clay, installed in the United States Capitol in Washington D.C. as part of the National Statuary Hall Collection. It is one of two statues donated by the state of Kentucky. The statue was accepted into the collection by Virgil Chapman on March 3, 1929.
John M. Clayton is a 1934 marble sculpture depicting the American lawyer and politician of the same name by Bryant Baker, installed in the United States Capitol, in Washington D.C., as part of the National Statuary Hall Collection. It is one of two statues donated by the state of Delaware The statue was accepted in the collection by Robert G. Houston on June 6, 1934.
Philip Kearny is an 1888 bronze sculpture of Philip Kearny by Henry Kirke Brown, installed in the United States Capitol, in Washington, D.C., as part of the National Statuary Hall Collection. It is one of two statues donated by the state of New Jersey.
Andrew Jackson is a 1928 bronze sculpture of Andrew Jackson by Belle Kinney Scholz and Leopold Scholz, installed in the United States Capitol, in Washington D.C., as part of the National Statuary Hall Collection. It is one of two statues donated by the state of Tennessee. The statue was accepted into the collection by Senator Kenneth McKellar on April 16, 1928.
Robert M. La Follette Sr. is a 1929 marble sculpture of Robert M. La Follette by Jo Davidson, installed in the United States Capitol, in Washington, D.C., as part of the National Statuary Hall Collection. It is one of two statues donated by the state of Wisconsin. The statue was accepted in the collection by Senator John J. Blaine on April 25, 1929.
John James Ingalls is a 1905 marble sculpture of the politician of the same name by Charles Henry Niehaus, formerly installed in the United States Capitol, in Washington, D.C., as part of the National Statuary Hall Collection. It was one of two statues donated by the state of Kansas. The statue was accepted in the collection by Senator Arthur P. Gorman on January 21, 1905. On July 27, 2022, it was replaced by a Statue of Amelia Earhart.
Jacques Marquette is a statue by Gaetano Trentanove of Jacques Marquette, the best-known version being the 1896 marble one installed in the National Statuary Hall Collection in the Capitol in Washington D.C.
Peter Muhlenberg, or John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg, is an 1889 marble sculpture depicting the American clergyman, soldier, and politician of the same name by Blanche Nevin, installed in the United States Capitol's crypt, in Washington, D.C., as part of the National Statuary Hall Collection. It is one of two statues donated by the state of Pennsylvania. The statue was accepted into the collection on February 28, 1889, by Pennsylvania Congressman Daniel Ermentrout.
Julius Sterling Morton, also known as J. Sterling Morton, is a 1937 bronze sculpture of Julius Sterling Morton by Rudulph Evans, installed in the United States Capitol Visitor Center, in Washington, D.C., as part of the National Statuary Hall Collection. It is one of two statues donated by the state of Nebraska. The sculpture was accepted into the collection by Congressman Karl Stefan of Nebraska on April 27, 1937.
Francis Harrison Pierpont is a 1910 marble sculpture of Francis Harrison Pierpont by Franklin Simmons installed in the United States Capitol, in Washington, D.C., as part of the National Statuary Hall Collection. It is one of two statues donated by the state of West Virginia. The sculpture was unveiled by the Hon. Thomas Condit Miller, on April 27, 1937.
Roger Williams is an 1872 marble sculpture of Roger Williams by Franklin Simmons, installed in the United States Capitol, in Washington, D.C., as part of the National Statuary Hall Collection. It is one of two statues donated by the state of Rhode Island. The sculpture was unveiled by Senator William Sprague of Rhode Island on January 9, 1872.
A colossal bust of Abraham Lincoln was made by Gutzon Borglum and completed in 1908. The original marble sculpture is installed in the United States Capitol crypt, in Washington, D.C. Reproductions cast in bronze are installed in several other locations, including the Lincoln Tomb in Springfield, Illinois.
There are several works of art in the United States Capitol honoring former leaders of the Confederate States of America and generals in the Confederate States Army, including six statues in the National Statuary Hall Collection, busts and portraits.
