Dirt, dust, and pollution wreaked havoc on outdoor sculpture at the Capitol. In 1910, the fire department was happy to lend a hand with cleaning the pediment above the Senate entrance on the building’s East Front. The central figure in the group of sculptures got the full force of the fire hoses when the photograph was taken. Figures symbolizing the early days of the nation, on the right, have already been cleaned, while those representing American ingenuity on the left await their turn.
