United States Capitol

===Art===
[[File:Apotheosis of George Washington.jpg|thumb|left|''[[The Apotheosis of Washington]]'', the 1865 [[fresco]] by [[Constantino Brumidi]] on the interior of the Capitol's dome in 2005]]
[[File:Car of history.jpg|thumb|Carlo Franzoni's 1819 sculptural [[chariot clock]], the ''Car of History'', depicting [[Clio]], the Greek muse of history in National Statuary Hall in 2006]]
[[File:USCapitolRotunda.JPG|thumb|left|The [[United States Capitol rotunda|Capitol rotunda]] in 2005]]
[[File:Declaration of Independence (1819), by John Trumbull.jpg|thumb|[[John Trumbull]]'s 1819 portrait, ''[[Declaration of Independence (Trumbull)|Declaration of Independence]]'', depicting the [[Committee of Five]] submitting its draft of the [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declaration of Independence]] to the [[Second Continental Congress]] in [[Philadelphia]], one of the largest paintings on display in the rotunda]]
[[File:National Statuary Hall Collection.jpg|thumb|[[National Statuary Hall Collection]] viewed from the south]]
The Capitol has a long history in [[Visual arts of the United States|art of the United States]], beginning in 1856 with [[Italian American|Italian]]/[[Greek American]] artist [[Constantino Brumidi]] and his [[mural]]s in the hallways of the first floor of the Senate side of the Capitol. The murals, known as the [[Brumidi Corridors]],<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.aoc.gov/cc/art/brumidi/index.cfm | title=AOC.gov | publisher=AOC.gov | access-date=November 5, 2010 }}</ref> reflect great moments and people in [[History of the United States|United States history]]. Among the original works are those depicting [[Benjamin Franklin]], [[John Fitch (inventor)|John Fitch]], [[Robert Fulton]], and events such as the [[Louisiana Purchase|Cession of Louisiana]]. Also decorating the walls are animals, insects and natural [[Flora of the United States|flora]] indigenous to the United States. Brumidi's design left many spaces open so future events in United States history could be added. Among those added are the ''[[Spirit of St. Louis]]'', the [[Apollo 11|Moon landing]], and the [[Space Shuttle Challenger disaster|Space Shuttle ''Challenger'' crew]].

Brumidi also worked within the Rotunda. He is responsible for the painting of ''[[The Apotheosis of Washington]]'' beneath the top of the dome, and also the ''[[United States Capitol rotunda#Frieze of American History|Frieze of American History]]''.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.aoc.gov/cc/art/rotunda/frieze/index.cfm | title=Frieze of American History | publisher=Aoc.gov | access-date=November 5, 2010 }}</ref> ''The Apotheosis of Washington'' was completed in 11 months and painted by Brumidi while suspended nearly {{convert|180|ft}} in the air. It is said to be the first attempt by the United States to deify a [[Founding Fathers of the United States|founding father]]. Washington is depicted surrounded by 13 [[Virginity|maidens]] in an inner ring with many [[Greek mythology|Greek]] and [[Roman mythology|Roman gods and goddesses]] below him in a second ring. The [[frieze]] is located around the inside of the base of the dome and is a chronological, pictorial history of the United States from the landing of [[Christopher Columbus]] to the [[Wright Brothers]]'s flight in [[Kitty Hawk, North Carolina|Kitty Hawk]], [[North Carolina]]. The frieze was started in 1878 and was not completed until 1953. The frieze was therefore painted by four different artists: Brumidi, [[Filippo Costaggini]], [[Charles Ayer Whipple]], and [[Allyn Cox]]. The final scenes depicted in the fresco had not yet occurred when Brumidi began his ''Frieze of the United States History''.

Within the Rotunda there are eight large paintings about the development of the United States as a nation. On the east side are four paintings depicting major events in the discovery of America. On the west are four paintings depicting the founding of the United States. The east side paintings include ''The Baptism of [[Pocahontas]]'' by [[John Gadsby Chapman]], ''The Embarkation of the [[Pilgrim Fathers|Pilgrims]]'' by [[Robert Walter Weir]], ''The Discovery of the [[Mississippi River|Mississippi]]'' by [[William Henry Powell]], and ''The Landing of Columbus'' by [[John Vanderlyn]]. The paintings on the west side are by [[John Trumbull]]: ''[[Declaration of Independence (Trumbull)|Declaration of Independence]]'', ''[[Surrender of General Burgoyne]]'', ''[[Surrender of Lord Cornwallis]]'', and ''[[General George Washington Resigning His Commission]]''. Trumbull was a contemporary of the United States' founding fathers and a participant in the [[American Revolutionary War]]; he painted a self-portrait into ''Surrender of Lord Cornwallis''.

''[[First Reading of the Emancipation Proclamation of President Lincoln]]'', an 1864 painting by [[Francis Bicknell Carpenter]], hangs over the west staircase in the Senate wing.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/art/artifact/Painting_33_00005.htm | title=U.S. Senate: Art & History Home, First Reading of the Emancipation Proclamation of Presid | publisher=Senate.gov | access-date=February 19, 2012 }}</ref>

The Capitol also houses the [[National Statuary Hall Collection]], comprising two statues donated by each of the [[U.S. state|fifty states]] to honor persons notable in their histories. One of the most notable statues in the [[National Statuary Hall]] is a [[Kamehameha Statue|bronze statue of King Kamehameha]] donated by the state of Hawaii upon its accession to the union in 1959. The statue's extraordinary weight of {{convert|15,000|lb|kg}} raised concerns that it might come crashing through the floor, so it was moved to Emancipation Hall of the new Capitol Visitor Center. The 100th, and last statue for the collection, that of [[Popé|Po'pay]] from the state of [[New Mexico]], was added on September 22, 2005. It was the first statue moved into the Emancipation Hall.