United States House of Representatives: History, Art, & Archives
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Interior of the House of Representatives, Washington

A black and white print showing the Old Hall of the House, with desks arranged in a semi-circle, curtains hung between columns, and a statue of a female figure with an eagle perched high above the rostrum. The print is surrounded by decorative vignettes, including an eagle and fasces at the top, and Federal Hall, Elizabethtown, and the figures of Justice and Liberty at lower left and right./tiles/collection/2/28609.xml
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A black and white print showing the Old Hall of the House, with desks arranged in a semi-circle, curtains hung between columns, and a statue of a female figure with an eagle perched high above the rostrum. The print is surrounded by decorative vignettes, including an eagle and fasces at the top, and Federal Hall, Elizabethtown, and the figures of Justice and Liberty at lower left and right.
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Date

ca. 1834

Artist

William Goodacre

Publisher

J & F Tallis, London and New York

Dimensions

7 1/4 x 10 3/4 in. (18.4 x 27.3 cm)

Accession Number

2005.041.000

Credit Line

Collection of the U.S. House of Representatives

Object Details

William Goodacre, an artist active in New York during the 1830s, made this complex image. Though the old House Chamber is the focus of the print, allegorical and historical imagery surrounds this most democratic of spaces. Above the Chamber scene, an eagle holds a laurel wreath amidst flags, fasces, and swords, arrayed like military trophies. On either side of the central image are allegorical figures of Justice—blindfolded and holding a scale—and Liberty, holding a liberty cap on a staff. Below Justice, a crowd cheers before Federal Hall in New York, as George Washington is proclaimed President. Opposite, Washington’s embarks at Elizabethport, New Jersey, part of his journey to his New York inauguration.

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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