To Be a Gallery God
/tiles/non-collection/3/3-24-earliest-pass-2010_016_012.xml
Collection of the U.S. House of Representatives
About this object
The first owner of this early pass could visit not for just a day, but "for the session."
“To be a gallery god in the House
of Representatives is to have a free seat at a unique performance.” So said one
newspaper, and for two centuries Americans have agreed, with gusto. From the
moment Congress
first met in 1789, citizens visited the House Chamber to watch
their national legislature in action. Today, passes to sit in the House Gallery
are required for entry and are freely available from Members’ offices. They
become treasured souvenirs of Capitol visits, and important historical
artifacts. The
House Collection contains some of the oldest (and newest)
varieties of tickets, from scribbled passes to high-tech printed versions, and everything in between.
/tiles/non-collection/3/3-24-first-passes-2007_169_002.xml
Collection of the U.S. House of Representatives
About this object
The first gallery passes allowed visitors to watch electoral votes being counted in 1877.
Being able to watch the House at work is a
tradition as old as the Congress, but the idea of issuing tickets first arose
in 1877. The outcome of the previous November’s presidential election between
Rutherford B. Hayes and Samuel Tilden was still in doubt. Public interest was
understandably intense when the Congress met over several days in
February and March 1877 in Joint Session to count the disputed
electoral ballots. The House rose to the challenge of managing thousands of
eager visitors, and issued large printed tickets on stiff paperboard, a
different color for each day. The packed galleries were “resplendent with the diversified colors worn by the ladies,” reported the newspapers.
/tiles/non-collection/3/3-24-written-pass-2005_200_000.xml
Collection of the U.S. House of Representatives
About this object
Early passes were jotted down by the Speaker of the House himself.
The experiment successfully
regulated public access. Within a year,
every day was a ticketed day for most of
the public. One newspaper reported that “in order to limit the space which
loafers of a most objectionable character used daily to fill in the House
gallery” the House decided to require passes to the gallery. One of the earliest
surviving tickets is a simple pass that Speaker
Samuel Randall wrote out by hand in 1878, indicating that
efficient printing wasn’t in place just yet. Occasionally, the House decided to
alter its own gallery rules, to accommodate crowds on particularly momentous
occasions. In 1898 the chamber opened extra seating for the ticket-holding public
to see the
Spanish-American War debates.
The design and printing of
gallery passes changed almost a dozen times over the years. Initially
handwritten, by 1884 Visitor’s Gallery passes were printed on yellow cardboard.
A Member wrote in the date, name of the bearer, dates of admission, and
importantly, his signature. In 1890, passes included a printed image of the House side of the Capitol behind
the text.
Beginning in 1897, designers
tinkered with the passes’ look. The House
tried out infinite combinations of enduring symbols: the female personification
of Liberty, the House mace, a starry striped shield, acorns, oak leaves and
laurel branches, eagles, and Capitol domes. Innovations like brightly colored
paper and a numbering system were
introduced. For variety, Joint
Sessions, Joint Meetings, and openings of Congress had entirely different
passes issued for each event.
/tiles/non-collection/3/3-24-modern-pass-2007_179_002.xml
Collection of the U.S. House of Representatives
About this object
Modern passes became increasingly complex, as printing technology allowed for more variation and security features.
At first, the Member who issued
the pass signed it. By the 1930s, so many visitors wanted them
that rubber stamps and mechanical signing
devices began to stand in for the
Member’s own hand. In the 21st century, even more innovations, such
as slick coated paper, security holograms and adhesive stickers, became
commonplace.
Television coverage of the House floor made it possible to know
what is going on, in real time, no matter where one is. But for those who come
to Washington, a gallery pass serves the same purpose it has for generations–a ticket to
witness history in the making.
Sources: Washington Post, February 2, 1908; Irish American Weekly (New York), February 10, 1877; Salt Lake Tribune, May 1, 1884.