Washington's Inauguration, 1789
George Washington was sworn in as the nation's first president on April 30, 1789, on the balcony of Federal Hall in New York. The mural depicts (from left to right) Robert R.
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.
Washington, 1800
Only the north (Senate) wing of the U.S. Capitol Building was ready for the Congress by 1800. As construction continued on the rest of the building, this wing accommodated the Senate, the House of Representatives, the Supreme Court, the Library of Congress, and the district courts.
Washington, 1814
In August 1814, during the War of 1812, invading British troops burned the U.S. Capitol and other buildings in Washington. That fall, Congress met in the Patent Office building (now the National Portrait Gallery/Smithsonian American Art Museum).
Washington, 1815
Only the north (Senate) wing of the U.S. Capitol Building was ready for the Congress by 1800. As construction continued on the rest of the building, this wing accommodated the Senate, the House of Representatives, the Supreme Court, the Library of Congress, and the district courts.
Washington, 1829
The U.S. Capitol Building and Grounds were first completed by Charles Bulfinch in 1829. This image shows the building's East Front.
Washington, 1867
The expansion of the nation led to the growth of the Congress, and by 1850 the Capitol Building was much too small. Over a period of 17 years, the present House and Senate wings were added to the old building and the low central dome was replaced with a cast-iron dome better suited to the enlarged Capitol.
Weaving
The craft is shown as a family operation, with children carding the wool, a young woman spinning it, and an older woman operating a loom.
Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way
Emanuel Leutze's mural celebrates the western expansion of the United States. A group of pioneers and their train of covered wagons are pictured at the continental divide, looking towards the sunset and the Pacific Ocean. The border depicts vignettes of exploration and frontier mythology. Beneath the central composition is a panoramic view of their destination"Golden Gate," in San Francisco Bay. The mural's title is a verse from the poem 'On the Prospect of Planting Arts and Learning in America' by Bishop George Berkeley (1685-1753).
Will Rogers Statue
This statue of Will Rogers was given to the National Statuary Hall Collection by Oklahoma in 1939.