Artfully Yours, James Garfield

November is a big month for James Garfield: born 1831, became a Freemason in 1861, elected president of the United States 1880 and, most recently, the story of his presidency is the topic of a new TV drama miniseries, "Death by Lightning," released in 2025.

Below we've identified six works of art at the U.S. Capitol with Garfield's likeness.

A marble statue of Garfield by artist Charles Niehaus was given to the National Statuary Hall Collection in 1886 to represent the state of Ohio. Standing tall in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, Garfield is portrayed with one hand resting on a sheaf of papers as he readies to begin a speech. Visitors can see this statue on the public tour.

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Marble sculptures (one statue and bust) of Garfield in the U.S Capitol.

On the Senate side of the U.S. Capitol, a marble bust of Garfield, also by Niehaus, is a gift from the artist's estate accepted by the Joint Committee on the Library in 1965.

Another piece in the U.S. Senate Collection is an enamel mosaic by artist Antonio Salviati. This unique memorial portrait of Garfield has thousands of individual pieces of glass that come together so well it can be mistaken for a painting from further away.

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The enamel mosaic of Garfield past and present.

Usually displayed near a companion piece by Salviati of President Abraham Lincoln, it has appeared in various locations of the Senate wing and is currently in a corridor on the second floor.

On the third floor of the U.S. Capitol, near an entrance to the Senate gallery, is an oil painting titled "The Florida Case before the Electoral Commission" by artist Adèle Fassett. Garfield can be found among the 256 persons in this 60" x 75" canvas. Can you spot him (below)? Hint: he is one of the sixteen commissioners sitting at the dais. This key has the answer.

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Paintings from both the U.S. Senate Collection and the U.S. House Collection include Garfield.

On the House side of the U.S. Capitol a second painting of Garfield by Fassett is displayed. This portrait in the House Committee on Appropriations hearing room marks his service as its chairman during the 42nd and 43rd Congresses.

Moving outside of the U.S. Capitol Building, visitors can find a bronze and granite monument to Garfield. Unveiled in 1887, it became a part of the U.S. Capitol Grounds in 1975.

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The Garfield Monument seen southwest of the U.S. Capitol in the circle at First Street, SW, and Maryland Avenue.

The tapered, cylindrical granite pedestal holds four over-life-size bronze figures, with the portrait statue of Garfield at the top and three allegorical figures representing different phases of his career below.