United States House of Representatives: History, Art, & Archives
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Thomas Brackett Reed

Thomas Brackett Reed/tiles/collection/3/37448.xml
Thomas Brackett Reed/tiles/collection/3/37446.xml
Thomas Brackett Reed/tiles/collection/3/37447.xml
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Date

1943

Artist

Abraham Lincoln Borglum

Dimensions

25 × 14 × 11 in. (63.5 × 35.6 × 27.9 cm) Pedestal: 54 1/4 × 23 × 20 in. (137.8 × 58.4 × 50.8 cm)

Accession Number

2005.029.000

Credit Line

Collection of the U.S. House of Representatives

Object Details

The resolution to commission the bust of former Speaker Thomas Reed was passed 1939, the 100th anniversary of his birth. The resulting work was unveiled in a ceremony on the House Floor in 1943. Sculptor Gutzon Borglum—most famous for creating the Mount Rushmore sculptures— worked on this commission with his son, Abraham Lincoln Borglum. According to letters from the younger artist, they encountered great difficulties in making a good likeness due to their reliance on 19th century photographs.

Rights and Reproduction Information

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Office of the Historian: history@mail.house.gov
Office of Art & Archives, Office of the Clerk: art@mail.house.gov, archives@mail.house.gov