The Art Collection

This statue of Marcus Whitman was given to the National Statuary Hall Collection by Washington in 1953. Whitman was born in 1802 and died in 1847; he is best remembered for his roles as a physician and missionary.

This statue of Maria Sanford was given to the National Statuary Hall Collection by Minnesota in 1958.

The bust of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. has been on display in the Capitol Rotunda since 1986. The bronze sculpture is 36 inches high on a 66-inch high Belgian black marble base.

Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune (1875-1955) was an educator, civil rights activist, and presidential advisor. This statue was given to the National Statuary Hall Collection by Florida in 2022. Nilda Comas is the first artist of Puerto Rican descent commissioned to sculpt a statue for the National Statuary Hall Collection.

The richly patterned and colored Minton tile floors are one of the most striking features of the extensions of the United States Capitol. They were first installed in 1856, when Thomas U. Walter was engaged in the design and construction of vast additions to the Capitol (1851-1865). For the floors in his extensions, Walter chose encaustic tile for its beauty, durability and sophistication.

Moses (c. 1350-1250 B.C.) Hebrew prophet and lawgiver. Transformed a wandering people into a nation; received the Ten Commandments.

This statue of Mother Joseph was given to the National Statuary Hall Collection by Washington in 1980.

This piece is artist Alexander Calder's only work that combined a separate mobile and a stabile (or standing sculpture). In 2016, the clouds were removed after a structural safety analysis was completed. They will be refabricated and reinstalled as funding becomes available.