United States House of Representatives: History, Art, & Archives
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House Chamber Seating Plan

House Chamber Seating Plan/tiles/collection/6/6938.xml
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Date

1836-1837

Artist

David H. Burr and John Van Ness Throop

Dimensions

24 x 21 in. (61 x 53.3 cm)

Accession Number

2004.103.000

Credit Line

Collection of the U.S. House of Representatives

Object Details

In this 1830s House Chamber plan, desks were facing what looks like the wrong way. Representatives turned to face the curving walls rather than the typical U-shaped formation that followed the contours of the room. Why? In 1833, the room’s acoustics were deemed so terrible that drastic measures were adopted. Official House cartographer David Burr drew a new plan of the Chamber, illustrating the layout and who sat at each desk. It was a short-lived experiment. In 1838, everyone agreed the sound was not improved, and the Members turned again to their original direction.

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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