The Art Collection

Architect of the Capitol employees are responsible for the care and preservation of more than 300 works of art, architectural elements, landscape features and more.

Browse our pieces below or learn more about the artists, collections and subjects.

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The Birth of Aviation

The first flight at Kitty Hawk (December 17, 1903) is depicted, with Orville Wright in the Flyer, which has just left the ground, and Wilbur running alongside to steady the wing. In the background stand Leonardo da Vinci, Samuel Pierpont Langley, and Octave Chanute; each holds a model of his earlier design for a flying machine. An eagle with an olive branch in its talons emphasizes this flight as a great American achievement and closes this last scene. (1903)

The Constitutional Convention, 1787

Following the Revolutionary War, the new American government was first organized under the Articles of Confederation, but that document gave the federal government too little authority to be effect

The Declaration of Independence, 1776

In June 1776 five delegates to the Second Continental Congress drafted the Declaration of Independence.

The First Continental Congress, 1774

Delegates from twelve colonies met in 1774 in Philadelphia to discuss responses to increased British oppression.

The First Federal Congress, 1789

Meeting in New York at Federal Hall, the first federal Congress initiated the committee system, levied taxes and imposts, and enacted a judicial system.

The First Four Settlements in America

The map shows the first four settlements in America, from St. Augustine (1565) to Plymouth (1620).

The First Thirteen Colonies

The map shows the first thirteen colonies and the year in which each entered the Union. The original Northwest territories, the Connecticut Reserve, and Spanish and West Florida are also shown.

The Library of Congress in the Capitol, 1800-1897

In 1783 Representative James Madison introduced a resolution to create a library that would give the Congress access to works about the laws of nations and about American history and affairs.

The Mayflower Compact, 1620

The Mayflower Compact, a document signed aboard the ship Mayflower in 1620, set forth principles of tolerance and liberty for the government of a new colony in the New World.