88th Congress, 2d Session House Document Number 362 Compilation of Works of Art and Other For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, D.C., 20402 Price $4.50 88th Congress, 2d Session House Document Number 362 Compilation of Works of Art United States Capitol PREPARED BY THE ARCHITECT OF THE CAPITOL UNDER THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON 1965 SAMUEL N. FRIEDEL, Maryland AUGUSTUS F. HAWKINS, California GLENARD, P. LIPSCOMB, California JULIAN P. LANGSTON, Chief Clerk JOINT COMMITTEE ON THE LIBRARY OMAR BURLESON, Representative from Texas, Chairman B. EVERETT JORDAN, Senator from North Carolina, Vice Chairman CLAIBORNE PELL Senator from Rhode Island JOSEPH S. Clark Senator from Pennsylvania PAUL C. JONES FRANK THOMPSON, JR. Representative from New Jersey JOHN SHERMAN COOPER HUGH SCOTT GLENARD P. LIPSCOMB Representative from California ROBERT J. CORBETT Representative from Pennsylvania. JULIAN P. LANGSTON, Chief Clerk GORDON F. HARRISON, Assistant Chief Clerk (Prepared under the direction of the Eighty-eighth and Eighty-ninth Congresses) 2-18-70 Foreword The accumulation of the works of art in the United States Capitol represents a paramount and most interesting portion of the history of this great edifice, which, since the laying of its cornerstone in 1793 by President George Washington, has developed into one of our most cherished and revered national shrines. The collection has grown in numbers, value, and reputation and has become an integral part of this world-famed structure. From the time the first work of art was placed in the Capitol until 1927, there were only occasional compilations made, none of which followed any definite pattern, or standard, and most of which contained only general, incomplete, and oftentimes unsubstantiated information. Thirty-eight years ago, in 1927, Charles E. Fairman, then art curator of the Capitol, compiled the most comprehensive history of the accumulation and development of art in the Capitol ever prepared. This voluminous work, undoubtedly, is the most valuable writing presently available concerning this particular subject matter. Its historical and encyclopedical usefulness cannot be overestimated. By 1952 it had been apparent for some time, nevertheless, that a simple, concise, comprehensive, and factual cataloging of these works of art had been long overdue. Fairman's "Art and Artists" was by then approximately a quarter of a century out of date; it is narrative in form; it was written primarily from an artist's perspective; and, consequently, it does not contain certain factual information which, though unimportant to the artist or art critic, is most important to the cataloger. The impelling need in 1952 for a current official cataloging culminated in the Architect of the Capitol compiling in concise form a complete list of all the art in the Capitol, together with the date and manner of acquisition, the location of each and the names of the respective painters and sculptors. The members of the Joint Committee on the Library were greatly impressed by the thoroughness of that compilation and, in the interest of both Houses of Congress, decided to have it printed as a joint committee print. |