History, Art & Archives of the U.S. House of Representatives

From Representative to President: The House Career of James A. Garfield of Ohio

2026-10-27T16:26:37

On December 7, 1863, Garfield was sworn in less than a week after the final section of the Statue of Freedom was hoisted atop the Capitol dome. Re-elected eight times, the Ohio Representative’s wealth of experience made him well-prepared to become the first and to this date only Member of the House elected directly to the presidency in 1880.

Recent Artifacts Online, Fall 2026

2026-10-09T12:47:10

This fall, historical political cartoons are newly digitized and available online. From Springer’s lamb to Dingley’s ark, the popular satires of more than a century ago are packed with historical details and references, so settle in for some colorful legislative talk.

National History Day 2027: “Innovation in History: Impact, Influence, Change”

2026-10-06T20:59:55

The Office of the Historian of the U.S. House of Representatives is proud to continue our tradition of supporting students participating in National History Day (NHD).

From Wartime Secretary to House Speaker: The “Conspicuous Station” of Jonathan Trumbull Jr.

2026-09-21T16:45:30

Speaker Jonathan Trumbull Jr. of Connecticut was part of a generation of Members whose experience during the Revolutionary War informed their tenure in public office. His story is one of many that demonstrates how veterans of the Revolution continued to serve their country after the war, building and nurturing the government they had fought to create.

New House Speaker Portrait: Kevin McCarthy

2026-09-15T16:34:24

The House of Representatives unveiled a new portrait of Speaker Kevin McCarthy today. McCarthy was elected Speaker of the House in January 2023. The painting joins a collection of historical portraits of former House Speakers.

The People's House Remembers September 11, 2001

2026-09-09T19:05:59

To add to the historical record of that tumultuous day and to mark the 25th anniversary of the attacks, the Office of the Historian published oral history interviews with lawmakers and staff about their experiences on 9/11. These stories also trace some of the long-term ramifications of September 11 for the House, including the lasting effects on congressional districts, campus security, and daily business on Capitol Hill.

September 11, 2001: Honoring the 25th Anniversary

2026-09-03T20:55:56

To mark the 25th anniversary of the tragic events of September 11, 2001, the Office of the Historian has published a range of material chronicling the experiences of former lawmakers and staff during and after that tumultuous day.

The Records of the Contemporary United States: Prelude to the New Millennium (1970–2004)

2026-09-03T13:30:07

During the final decades of the 20th century, the United States reflected on its 200-year history while also looking forward to the new millennium. Americans grappled with the realized and unrealized promises of the nation’s founding principles. Cultural movements and technology evolved rapidly, and new politicians arrived on the scene. At home, citizens advocated for equal rights and endured an energy crisis, political scandal, and a large-scale terrorist attack. Abroad, the United States navigated a foreign policy agenda that included the Cold War, Pacific territories, and global trade. Learn more about the end of the century with these records from the House of Representatives.

A Level Playing Field? Congress Tackles Football's Antitrust Problem

2026-08-26T16:14:19

In April 1961, the NFL signed a nationwide contract with the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) with exclusive rights to televise its games starting with the 1962 season. House Judiciary Chairman Emanuel Celler and his committee responded by opening an investigation into whether the NFL—and by extension, other professional sports leagues—had the right to set up their own big broadcast deals.

Revolutionary Representatives: Veterans of America’s War for Independence in the House

2026-08-19T17:41:21

For 45 years, between 1789 and the mid-1830s, 275 veterans of the Revolutionary War served in the U.S. House of Representatives. Sixty-two percent of the membership of the First Congress fought in the American Revolution, a greater percentage of veterans of a single conflict that at any other Congress in history.

Edition for Educators—An America250 Road Trip

2026-08-10T14:17:13

The new school year may be fast approaching, but summer isn’t over yet! Pile into the family car and join the Office of the Historian in continuing our celebration of America250 with a roadmap through Congress’s connection to Revolutionary-era America.

Edition for Educators: From the Continental and Confederation Congresses to the Federal Congress

2026-07-30T16:55:55

When the U.S. House of Representatives opened in 1789, the world had never seen anything like it. But the characteristics of House, new though they were, were built on years of precedent and procedures found in other legislative bodies in North America.

Recent Artifacts Online, Summer 2026

2026-07-17T20:57:48

Just in time for summer, a slew of newly digitized prints and postcards show how visitors and armchair travelers pictured the Capitol over the past two centuries.

Congress Celebrates the Bicentennial

2026-07-08T15:59:20

Years before millions of Americans marked the nation’s Bicentennial with fireworks and parades, the federal government began planning national celebrations to commemorate the 200th anniversary of American independence on July 4, 1976. At the center of these festivities was the U.S. Congress, which oversaw the country’s many celebrations and planned its own tributes to the Revolutionary-era quest for self-determination.

America’s Bicentennial and the Creation of Valley Forge National Historical Park

2026-07-02T16:57:59

In 1975, as the bicentennial approached, few Americans doubted the historical significance of Valley Forge. But there were fierce disagreements about how to preserve the site. It was hardly a foregone conclusion that Valley Forge would become part of the National Park System. Representative Richard Schulze’s resolution kicked off a preservation battle that lasted for more than a year, illustrating the difficulties involved in commemorating America’s history, even when it came to one of the most famous sites in the country.

“A National Celebration Worthy of the Occasion”: The U.S. House of Representatives and the 1876 Centennial

2026-07-09T13:36:56

In anticipation of America’s 100th anniversary on July 4, 1876, the U.S. House of Representatives began preparing for the nation’s biggest independence celebration yet: the United States Centennial Exposition, which, over the course of six months, drew nearly 10 million visitors from across the nation and around the world to Philadelphia for an unprecedented display of American history, arts, culture, labor, and industry.

Lights, Camera, Congress

2026-06-22T17:33:44

Take a look at Congress through a motion picture lens with classic Hollywood film stills and movie posters from the House Collection.

The Pride of Pittsburgh: An Oral History Update with Representative Mike Doyle

2026-06-09T14:19:50

In 2026, the Office of the House Historian published an interview with another Representative from Pennsylvania, Michael F. Doyle. In his interview, Doyle reflected on his childhood in western Pennsylvania and what led to his career in public service before focusing on his time in Congress and his legislative record.

76 Facts in Honor of 1776

2026-06-03T15:19:08

As part of a new America250 exhibit, the Office of the Historian has assembled 76 facts organized across a dozen categories about the Continental and Confederation Congresses and their Delegates. Each tidbit provides fascinating insight into life in Revolutionary-era America.

Edition for Educators—Gifts to Congress

2026-05-28T16:06:41

This month’s Edition for Educators answers the question: what do you get for the legislative body that has everything? Explore a few select examples of art, curiosities, and other gifts that the U.S. House of Representatives has received either to commemorate its own history or on behalf of the United States of America.

The Continental Congress and the Problem of Prisoners

2026-06-02T19:06:37

On May 21, 1776, the Continental Congress passed a resolution to deal with an issue Delegates expected would soon be a problem. Although the colonies would not officially declare independence until July, Congress deemed it worthwhile to stipulate how the “Thirteen United Colonies” would handle British prisoners captured during what they anticipated would be a costly war.

Caucuses, Committees, and Congressman Tony Coelho: An Oral History Update

2026-05-11T17:01:37

In a recently published oral history, Representative Tony Coelho reflected on the role caucuses and committees played throughout his steady rise to Majority Whip on Capitol Hill, enabling him to earn the trust of his colleagues and learn to operate the levers of political power.

Edition for Educators—James Madison of Virginia

2026-04-27T18:21:58

Over the course of his life, James Madison was a Delegate to the Continental and Confederation Congresses, a U.S. Representative, and the fourth President of the United States. This month’s Edition for Educators highlights materials on the History, Art & Archives website about the life, career, and legacy of James Madison.

From Loyalist to Congressman: The Career of Philip Barton Key

2026-06-01T16:05:33

On January 21, 1808, the U.S. House of Representatives went into the Committee of the Whole to hear a report on a routine contested election case. Before the House could vote to approve the committee’s findings, however, Representative James Witherell of Vermont rose from his seat and accused Representative Philip Barton Key of Maryland of something even more troubling than dubious residency.

Revolutionary War Veterans in the House Collection

2026-05-28T19:26:21

Revolutionary War veterans are well represented in the portraits of the House of Representatives. Paintings of two heroes of the Revolution, George Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette, have been in the House Chamber for almost two centuries. Five Speakers of the House served in the Continental Army during the war and are memorialized in the Speaker portrait collection. In a livelier vein, veteran and Representative Matthew Lyon wields a pair of fire tongs in the House print “Congressional Pugilists.”

Recent Artifacts Online, Spring 2026

2026-04-07T14:45:51

How did Members of Congress make a living before their House service? In this roundup, newly digitized objects show how some Representatives spent their time putting food on America’s tables.

Finding Her Voice—The Honorable Jennifer Wexton of Virginia Oral History

2026-03-23T13:26:49

This spring, the Office of the House Historian published an oral history with former Representative Jennifer Wexton of Virginia in which she detailed her path to Congress and discussed her unique career on Capitol Hill. She reflected on her goals as a lawmaker and how she navigated her time in public service while raising young children.

Days of Fasting, Days of Thanksgiving: The Continental Congress Marks Revolutionary War Watersheds

2026-03-19T14:19:27

In mid-March 1776, New Jersey Delegate William Livingston, a 52-year old brigadier general in the colonial militia and member of the Continental Congress, submitted a resolution calling for a national day of fasting in support of America’s defense against what he called “the warlike preparations of the British Ministry.” Three-and-a-half months before approving the Declaration of Independence, lawmakers agreed to Livingston’s bill setting aside May 17, 1776, for a day of prayer and reflection.

Edition for Educators: The House, Ireland, and Irish Americans

2026-03-17T13:35:42

This Edition for Educators highlights some of the personal connections between Members and Ireland, as well as the ways the House has commemorated the history of Ireland, interacted with Irish elected officials, and debated questions related to Irish independence. A closer look at this history reveals that there have always been friends of Ireland in the House of Representatives.

“This Great Gathering of the Nation”: Black Representatives and the 1876 Centennial Celebration

2026-06-18T16:58:34

One hundred years after the Declaration of Independence announced to the world a new experiment in democratic governance, the Centennial celebration gave America the opportunity to highlight what South Carolina Representative Richard Harvey Cain called “our common brotherhood.”

Edition for Educators—George Washington of Virginia

2026-02-19T17:09:13

Before he became the first President of the United States, George Washington was a young commander in the Virginia military during the French and Indian War, a Delegate to the Continental Congress, commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, and President of the Constitutional Convention. This month’s Edition for Educators highlights materials on the History, Art & Archives website about the life, career, and legacy of George Washington.

The Privileges of the Floor for America’s Oldest Revolutionary War Veteran

2026-02-19T17:50:17

On February 10, 1870, at the conclusion of the morning’s debate in the House, Representative Nathaniel Prentice Banks of Massachusetts, a former Speaker and an officer in the United States Army, stood to “ask the general consent of the House that the privileges of the floor for this day may be accorded to Mr. John Kitts, the gentleman who stands by my side.” Kitts was one of America’s last living veterans of the Revolutionary War.

Recent Artifacts Online, Winter 2026

2026-02-04T15:02:55

From silly to serious, mid-20th century House artifacts show the institution’s inner workings in this selection of recently digitized House Collection items.

Reporters and Reading Rooms: An Oral History Update

2026-03-20T19:41:29

In December 2025, the Office of the Historian published oral histories with two individuals whose professional skills led them to unique jobs on Capitol Hill. Brenda Countz, a trained stenographer with experience producing verbatim transcripts of court proceedings, joined the House as an official reporter in 1981. And in 1987, Ann Murphy was hired as a receptionist in what is known today as the Lindy Claiborne Boggs Congressional Women’s Reading Room after teaching school for the visually impaired in New York.

Rediscovering Revolutionary War Veterans

2026-05-28T19:30:29

In preparation for the country’s semiquincentennial, the Office of the House Historian has compiled a list of Revolutionary War veterans which includes each Member’s name, the state (or states) they represented, their congressional service dates, and other notable national government positions they held.

Common Sense and the Continental Congress

2026-01-08T19:31:29

During the second week of January 1776, Robert Bell, a publisher in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, printed an anonymous pamphlet titled Common Sense about the escalating conflict between Great Britain and its North American colonies. Written by an unknown author—later revealed to be a literary journeyman named Thomas Paine, the treatise was “Addressed to the Inhabitants of America.” At a time when many colonists still believed that their relationship with England could be repaired, Common Sense offered a different solution: Americans had no choice but to declare their independence from the crown.

History, Art & Archives Celebrates America250

2026-05-28T19:23:21

To commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, the Office of the House Historian is launching a series of essays, blogs, and new content as part of the nation’s America250 celebration. Among the many topics our staff will explore in 2026 will be the Continental and Confederation Congresses as well as the lawmakers who steered the young country through the Revolution. The office will also examine how the Declaration and the Revolutionary period shaped the earliest federal Congresses as well as how later generations of legislators marked the memory of the Declaration and the leaders who authored its ideals.

Best of the Blog in 2025

2025-12-22T18:08:24

As the first session of the 119th Congress comes to a close, we’re featuring six of our favorite blog posts from the past year.

The Twelve Days of House History

2025-12-12T17:46:50

This holiday season, the History, Art & Archives team wanted to offer something festive: a House history retelling of the Yuletide song, “The Twelve Days of Christmas.”

Edition for Educators—Foreign Addresses before Congress

2025-11-26T02:43:34

This Edition for Educators focuses on the history of inviting foreign leaders and dignitaries to appear before the United States Congress.

Download Historical Images

2025-11-14T18:09:19

You can now download images from Collections Search! Currently, more than 750 objects from the House Collection have high-resolution downloadable images.

Edition for Educators—Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida

2025-09-30T14:31:02

This month’s Edition for Educators highlights the congressional career of Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida, the first Hispanic woman elected to Congress.

National History Day 2026: “Revolution, Reaction, Reform”

2025-09-25T18:24:19

The History, Art & Archives team has gathered resources based on this year’s National History Day (NHD) theme, “Revolution, Reaction, Reform,” to inspire and assist student researchers with choosing their project.

Recent Artifacts Online, Fall 2025

2025-09-15T13:57:52

From “incomparable” juniper berry drinks to electronic voting computers, innovation takes the spotlight in the latest round of artifacts added to our online Collections Search.

The Many Lives of Representative Barzillai Gannett of Massachusetts

2025-09-05T15:44:29

Although the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress seemed to thoroughly document Barzillai Gannett’s early career, it said little about his activities in the 20 years after leaving Congress. Eager to fill out more of Gannett’s biography, the Office of the Historian began to research his life, revealing a complex narrative of fraud, jailbreak, and false identity.

Kids in the House 2.0

2025-08-29T14:04:27

The History, Art & Archives website announces a new addition to the Education section and the return of the popular Kids in the House with an emphasis on explaining House functions and government operations to the youngest learners.

Judiciary Committee Chair Portraits in the House Collection

2025-08-15T13:12:40

The House Committee on the Judiciary oversees the administration of justice in the federal courts and agencies, from patents to presidential impeachment. The weighty responsibilities resulted in sober portraits of chairs who led the committee’s work on such landmark actions as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Watergate Investigation. Take a look at five of the earliest Judiciary Committee portraits.

Edition for Educators—Career Day

2025-08-08T14:14:55

What do you want to be when you grow up? That seemingly simple question has inspired generations of students to think about their future and dream big. This Edition for Educators highlights the range of careers that Members have held prior to their election to Congress. Often, their backgrounds and unique career paths have helped them better understand their constituents and more accurately represent their interests in Congress.

Edition for Educators: Patricia Scott Schroeder

2025-07-29T17:00:42

This month’s Edition for Educators highlights the pathbreaking 24-year career of Congresswoman Patricia Scott Schroeder of Colorado.

The Records of Innovation and Transformation: Postwar United States (1945–1969)

2025-07-14T14:08:10

The upheaval of World War II spurred widespread change in the United States. Social, political, and economic shifts reverberated throughout the country and new allies and adversaries emerged abroad. It was a period marked by changes and challenges that impacted the way Americans lived, worked, and engaged with each other. The civil rights movement, the space race, and the Cold War shaped the decades following the end of the war.

The Little Congress' Big Independence Day Celebration

2025-07-02T14:25:00

While lawmakers would work through Independence Day 1937, leaders of the Little Congress decided to hold a public celebration of July 4 to recall the republic’s hallowed past, to dissect its unsettled present, and to prognosticate about its future.

Farm Bills, Food Allergies, and Football: An Oral History Update

2025-06-27T15:19:04

This spring, the Office of the House Historian published oral histories with three unique individuals who helped shape the House during the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries.

Recent Artifacts Online, Summer 2025

2025-06-23T15:30:31

From Abe Lincoln to “artistic French human hair goods,” there’s something for everyone in this season’s batch of recently digitized House Collection treasures.

From Bunker Hill to Capitol Hill: Representative Henry Dearborn and the New Nation

2025-06-18T13:42:14

On June 17, 1775, Henry Dearborn’s New Hampshire regiment defended Bunker Hill in intense fighting. Nearly 20 years after Bunker Hill, he was elected from the state of Massachusetts to two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives in the 3rd and 4th Congresses (1793–1797).

Great Outdoors: Natural Resources Committee Portraits

2025-06-02T18:00:05

The House’s Natural Resources Committee oversees the nation’s vast public lands. What’s one way you can tell? Look at the portraits in the committee’s hearing rooms.

Edition for Educators: Norman Mineta of California

2025-09-03T14:20:43

This month’s Edition for Educators highlights the historic career of Representative Norman Y. Mineta of California, a victim of internment who became a Congressman and later a Cabinet member under two different presidential administrations.

The Records of Resilience and Resolve: The Great Depression and World War II (1929–1945)

2025-04-28T15:43:32

During the 1930s and 1940s, Americans endured economic catastrophe and world war. When the war ended in 1945, the United States emerged with strengthened political, military, and economic power. Learn more about the United States during the Great Depression and World War II with these records from the House of Representatives.

Edition for Educators: The House and Shakespeare

2025-04-22T19:54:17

Debate can take many shapes on the House Floor. Members use their time to demonstrate their positions on legislation or current events. In some cases, they insert into the Congressional Record full speeches or remarks. To liven up their orations, legislators sometimes sprinkle in literary references. To quote, or not to quote. That is the question Members of Congress must consider.

Objection Day

2025-04-11T19:56:50

From the time the House created objection day in 1839 until Members ended it four decades later, the House had effectively created a legislative veto over private bills. In an institution where the majority would eventually be able to exercise almost unchecked power, House Rules for a time governed the private calendar under the tyranny of the smallest possible minority: one.

Edition for Educators—Edith Nourse Rogers of Massachusetts

2025-04-17T20:41:35

This month’s Edition for Educators highlights the pathbreaking career of Representative Edith Nourse Rogers, one of the longest-tenured women in Congress.

Recent Artifacts Online, Spring 2025

2025-04-16T13:18:46

See what’s fresh for spring with newly donated and newly digitized objects in the House Collection. Over the years, hundreds of people collected congressional treasures and gave them to the House of Representatives. Take a look at a few standouts.

A “Very Close Division of the Next House”: The Dramatic Majority Flip Heading into the 72nd Congress

2025-03-10T15:02:42

Following the 1930 midterm elections, the outlook for party divisions in the U.S. House of Representatives was 218 to 217. By the time the 72nd Congress opened in December 1931, a total of 14 Members-elect had died. The special elections to fill their vacancies before the new term opened would upend the House majority.

To Make Democracy Live: The Legislative Legacy of Emmett Till

2025-02-28T13:58:35

On Capitol Hill, the lynching of Emmett Till quickly became central to the struggle to pass a civil rights bill in the 84th Congress (1955–1957), sparking a decade of legislative achievements on civil rights not seen since Reconstruction.

Edition for Educators—Shirley Chisholm of New York

2025-02-18T18:22:37

Fiercely independent, Shirley Chisholm broke barriers for both women and Black Americans as the Congresswoman from Brooklyn, New York. This month’s Edition for Educators highlights the historic career of Representative Shirley Chisholm of New York, the first Black woman elected to Congress.

Edition for Educators—John Quincy Adams of Massachusetts

2025-12-17T20:00:08

Relying on a wealth of material published on the History, Art and Archives website, this month’s Edition for Educators highlights the life and congressional career of Representative John Quincy Adams of Massachusetts.

Development of the Industrial United States and the Emergence of Modern America (1870–1931), Part II: The Records of Progress

2025-12-31T15:08:49

As the United States expanded, developed, and went to war overseas, Americans and their government responded to the rapid changes happening in the country and abroad. Learn more about how the country navigated the shift from the unregulated excess of the Gilded Age to social and political reforms of the Progressive Era with these records from the House of Representatives.

Best of the Blog in 2024

2024-12-30T16:48:28

In 2024, the Office of the Historian and the Office of Art and Archives published 34 blog posts exploring the rich history of the House of Representatives. As the 118th Congress prepares to adjourn sine die, we’re featuring six of our favorite blog posts from the past year.

Recent Artifacts Online, Winter 2024

2024-12-18T15:54:45

Everything old is new again—this season, treasures from 150 years ago take center stage in newly digitized additions to our online collection.

“A Favored Son of America”: the Marquis de Lafayette’s 1824 House Reception

2024-12-06T20:42:46

On December 10, 1824, two dozen U.S. Representatives accompanied a 67-year-old French nobleman named Marie-Joseph-Paul-Yves-Roch-Gilbert du Motier through the streets of Washington, DC, on the way to the U.S. Capitol. Despite the apparent solemnity of the procession, the House and its visitors eagerly awaited the arrival of the French guest for whom they had prepared an official reception, set to begin promptly at 1:00 p.m.

Giving Thanks for the Institution

2025-12-31T14:47:40

In this final post commemorating the twentieth anniversary of the House’s oral history program, four former staff members, whose collective service covered more than 150 years, described their impressions of the institution and offered advice to a new generation of employees. Themes of gratitude, inspiration, and service emerge in this collection of interviews.

The History of Member Pins

2025-12-31T14:47:23

Like a hall pass, a little metal disc has identified Representatives to police, Members, and others in the know for 50 years. But for the previous 180 years, the House saw no need for them. What happened to make Member pins a must-have in Congress?

Edition for Educators – The House by the Numbers in 2024

2025-12-31T14:49:00

Eight years ago, the Office of the Historian published a blog which reviewed several historical statistics regarding the U.S. House of Representatives. Many lawmakers with many different careers have come and gone during that period. How, then, has the House changed since 2016? This Edition to Educators revisits that data, highlights new information on the History, Art & Archives website, and provides an update to important changes in the House’s membership.

Will the Real Thomas Forrest Please Stand Up

2025-12-31T14:46:21

Since 1859, the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress has compiled life and career information for every lawmaker who has ever served on Capitol Hill. Included among the more than 11,000 congressional biographies in the Directory is a brief entry for Representative Thomas Forrest of Pennsylvania who served in the House in the 16th and 17th Congresses (1819–1823). But left unsaid in the Biographical Directory are details of Forrest’s life that were anything but conventional.

Founding the Congressional Hispanic Conference

2025-12-31T14:44:17

Hispanic Republicans in Congress formed the Congressional Hispanic Conference in 2003. In so doing, they created an organization that would serve as a center of Hispanic power within the GOP Conference and would compete with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and a variety of liberal organizations to best express the hopes and dreams of America’s largest minority population.

Development of the Industrial United States and the Emergence of Modern America (1870–1931), Part I: The Records of Power

2025-12-31T14:46:54

Nearly 100 years after its founding, the United States exerted its new power over the nation’s economy, land, people, and increasingly, overseas as it sought strategic global footholds and favorable trade. Learn more about this period of new industries and imperialism with these records from the House of Representatives.

Recent Artifacts Online, Fall 2024

2025-12-31T14:42:22

This fall, newly digitized objects in the House Collection are talking the talk. Four recordings, from 1920 to 1964, step up to the microphone. Take a look and take a listen to congressional women and men from the past.

National History Day 2025: “Rights and Responsibilities”

2025-09-25T17:42:33

The History, Art & Archives team has gathered resources based on this year’s National History Day (NHD) theme, “Rights and Responsibilities,” to inspire and assist student researchers with choosing their project.

Design Tells a Story: Oral History and Campaign Buttons

2025-12-31T14:39:31

In a series of interviews conducted by the Office of the Historian, former Congresswomen talked about buttons their campaigns produced at different times during their careers. They described how and why they chose certain layouts, themes, and slogans. As these oral histories show, design tells a story.

Collection Spotlight: The Portrait of Dalip Saund

2025-12-31T14:36:49

A portrait can show you what someone looked like, but it can tell a complex story as well. Let’s walk through the details of one such story, as depicted in the portrait of Representative Dalip Saund.

Two Decades of Oral Histories in the House of Representatives

2025-12-31T14:35:40

The Office of the Historian celebrates the twentieth anniversary of the oral history program. Since 2004, the Office has conducted 500 interviews with Members and staff to preserve the history of the institution and better understand the inner workings of the House of Representatives. Casting a wide net, the Office of the Historian has interviewed former Members and staff whose careers spanned nearly a century of House history, from the 1930s to the current decade, using a range of recording formats, including in-person audio and video, telephone calls, and Microsoft Teams meetings during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Going for the Gold: Uncovering the Lost History of the 1980 Olympics

2025-12-31T14:41:19

This blog provides a behind-the-scenes look at the method and sources used to restore the 1980 gold-plated medal to its rightful place alongside the hundreds of other Congressional Gold Medals and to help readers learn more about that period in U.S. history. Those sources include congressional hearings, remarks made on the floor, and newspaper and archival research. This blog is intended to inspire and assist aspiring congressional researchers.

The Cold War, the Olympics, & the Forgotten Congressional Gold Medal

2025-12-31T14:34:15

In the spring of 1980, the United States government faced a foreign-policy decision with Olympic-sized consequences as the summer games in Russia loomed. The decision drew direct comparisons with the infamous 1936 Berlin Olympics. After authorizing a national boycott, the United States Congress honored the country's qualifying athletes with its own gold medals that, for many years, went forgotten.

Looking Back—The First Lying in Honor Ceremony

2025-12-31T14:32:24

On July 24, 1998, on a crowded, muggy Friday afternoon two weeks before the planned August recess, a gunman ignored orders from the Capitol Police, bypassed the metal detector near the gift shop in the U.S. Capitol, and stormed the offices of congressional leadership nearby. Following an exchange of gunfire, one tourist was injured and two Capitol Police officers—Officer Jacob J. Chestnut Jr. and Detective John M. Gibson—were killed. Through the heroic efforts of the Capitol Police, the gunman was subdued and arrested, saving lives in the process.

The Records of a Divided Country: Civil War and Reconstruction (1850–1877)

2025-12-31T14:34:55

By the mid-19th century, the struggle over slavery reached a boiling point in the United States. The American people, as well as their Representatives and Senators, clashed over slavery for years before the Civil War erupted in 1861. Following the war, during the period known as Reconstruction, Congress attempted to rebuild and reunite the country. Learn more about this contentious period with these records from the House of Representatives.

Edition for Educators—Setting Precedents

2025-12-31T14:30:52

This Edition for Educators highlights a few of the precedents that have been set since 1789, as well as the people who assemble those precedents into an ongoing body of work that guides the day-to-day work of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Recent Artifacts Online, Summer 2024

2025-12-31T14:30:26

Just in time for summer, the Office of Art and Archives has added new objects to the digitized House Collection.

The House’s Plot to Steal a Library

2025-09-25T18:45:34

In June 1974, as the U.S. House of Representatives opened an impeachment investigation into President Richard M. Nixon amid the Watergate scandal, a construction crew was hard at work on a massive new building for the Library of Congress in the 100 block of Independence Avenue in Southeast, Washington, DC, meant to alleviate overcrowding. During this tumultuous summer, a group of Representatives took stock of the House’s own office space and decided that it was overcrowded as well, packed with thousands of Member, committee, and support staff. Perhaps what the House required was a new office building. And perhaps the new library facility was just the space the House needed.

Edition for Educators—Dalip Singh (Judge) Saund of California

2025-12-31T14:26:13

In observation of Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, this Edition for Educators spotlights the life and congressional career of California Representative Dalip Singh Saund.

Not Horsing Around: Speaker Sedgwick Attempts to Rein in the Press

2025-12-31T14:25:49

On December 22, 1800, a gallery attendee named James Lane began clapping in support of a Member’s remarks. The disruption sparked an immediate rebuke from Speaker Theodore Sedgwick of Massachusetts, who ordered the House Sergeant at Arms to remove Lane from the chamber. The clapping may have lasted a split second, but it set in motion a lengthy series of events that underscored the power of the Speaker and House leadership’s contentious relationship with the press. It also, apparently, caused James Lane to lose his horse.

Behind the Scenes of Electronic Voting

2025-12-31T14:26:47

When the House of Representatives unveiled its new electronic voting system in late 1972, the New York Times compared its design to a different kind of display: a football scoreboard. Since then, the House has updated the technology of the chamber. The current system still has many innovative elements from the original.

An Empire or a Gavel: Speaker Thomas Brackett Reed’s Opposition to the Spanish-American War

2025-12-30T21:58:10

In late March 1898, Republican Speaker Thomas Brackett Reed of Maine found himself in an unfamiliar position. Known as “Czar Reed” for his iron-fisted control over the legislative process, Reed now struggled to maintain the direction of the House’s agenda as war loomed on the horizon.

Edition for Educators—Portraits in the House Collection

2025-12-30T21:57:35

Painted portraits form the backbone of this collection and represent a long tradition of honoring notable figures in the House’s history. Hundreds of significant individuals—Speakers, committee chairs, and others—are represented in paintings dating back to the 1780s. This month’s Edition for Educators highlights these portraits in the House Collection and the stories surrounding their creation and acquisition.

Recent Artifacts Online, Spring 2024

2025-12-30T21:58:58

What’s new in the House Collection? This round of digitized additions to the House’s treasure trove covers everything from 18th-century Speakers of the House to 20th-century cartoons.

Classroom Ready: New Women’s Suffrage Primary Source Set

2025-12-30T21:56:54

Learn about the long journey to the 19th Amendment and women’s voting rights with this primary source set. Created with teachers and students in mind, this educational tool follows the quest for suffrage using House records, art, and photographs. We encourage educators to download and use these materials in their classrooms.

“Agony and Ecstasy”: The Fight for the Equal Rights Amendment Extension in Congress

2025-12-30T21:56:25

Over the course of a year, from October 1977 to the fall of 1978, the fight to extend the ratification deadline for the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) played out on a public stage in the nation’s capital.

Looking Back—The 1954 Shooting

2025-12-30T21:56:04

Seventy years ago, on March 1, 1954, four members of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party snuck handguns into the House Visitors’ Gallery and opened fired on Members in the chamber below. Five Representatives were shot and injured before the Capitol Police, the Metropolitan Police, and others subdued the assailants.

“Freedom and Democracy in Our Own House:” Black Lawmakers on Capitol Hill during World War II

2025-12-30T21:55:18

In supporting American entry into World War II, Arthur W. Mitchell of Illinois noted that he represented not only his Chicago district, but all African Americans. He said his constituents everywhere were willing to fight, work, and sacrifice for the cause, and that they expected “the same treatment under our so-called democratic form of government” as any other American. “If he is good enough to die for his country,” Mitchell declared, “he should be given the largest and fullest opportunity to live for his country without any type of racial discrimination.”

Edition for Educators — “I Can Only Raise My Voice”

2025-12-30T21:54:58

In honor of Black History Month, this Edition for Educators features the words of 15 of the nearly 200 Black men and women who have served in Congress, sharing their perspective regarding the fight to secure civil rights and the effort to commemorate that movement.

Portraits from the Committee on House Administration

2025-12-30T21:55:38

The Committee on House Administration is a 20th-century creation, but many of its principal functions date to the beginnings of Congress. The committee’s chairman portrait tradition dates to 1969, when the painted likeness of its fifth chairman arrived, and continues into the 21st century.

Edition for Educators—New Perspectives on the Speakership

2025-12-30T21:54:18

Almost nine years ago, the Office of the Historian published an Edition for Educators on the Speakers of the House. In the near decade since, the Office of the Historian and the Office of Art and Archives have added an array of new resources, research, and artifacts that have richly informed how the Speakership has evolved since 1789. In this month’s Edition for Educators, we’re featuring some of that considerable new material now available on the History, Art & Archives website.

Velvet on Iron: Longworth Administers Party Discipline

2025-12-30T21:53:32

On December 7, 1925, Opening Day of the 69th Congress (1925–1927), a triumphant Nicholas Longworth of Ohio stood atop the House rostrum to claim the gavel and take the oath of office as Speaker. Longworth, who first won election to the House in 1902, had celebrated his fifty-sixth birthday just a month earlier. He had long wanted to run the House and now found himself the thirty-eighth Speaker in large part because he had played the long game on Capitol Hill.

The Records of a Growing Nation: Expansion and Reform (1801–1861)

2025-12-30T21:53:06

As the United States grew in size and population, it grappled with the challenges of its expansion. Congress began the complicated process of dividing and parceling out land, much of it already inhabited, contended with pro- and antislavery activism, and started to determine what kinds of support and relief the government should provide its citizens. Learn more about this turbulent foundational period with these records from the House of Representatives.

Best of the Blog in 2023

2025-12-30T21:50:23

In 2023, the Office of the Historian and the Office of Art and Archives published 34 blog posts examining a range of stories, people, and objects from U.S. House of Representatives. As the year draws to a close, we’re featuring six of our favorite blog posts from 2023.

The House’s Puzzling Pastime: 23 for 2023

2025-12-30T21:48:40

Ahead of Crossword Puzzle Day on December 21, the Office of the House Historian invites you to put your heads together with your historically-inclined friends to solve our latest crossword puzzle.

Recent Artifacts Online, Winter 2023

2025-12-30T21:47:31

What’s new on Collections Search? Nineteen postcards, a studio set, and an intern making photocopies, that’s what.

Edition for Educators—Prohibition

2025-12-30T21:49:51

In recognition of the ninetieth anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition, this month’s Edition for Educators brews up a review of Prohibition and the House of Representatives.

James Madison, the First Congress, and the Roots of America’s Direct Elections: “Essential to Every Plan of Free Government”

2025-12-30T21:45:38

Madison, who is widely credited as the architect of America’s system of direct House elections, openly wondered if the new government would succeed given that the states seemed to struggle to elect their lawmakers. Although the House’s system of direct elections is long familiar to Americans living in the twenty-first century, the practice was brand new for many eighteenth-century Americans—including Madison.

Post Some Bills: 20th Century Campaign Handbills

2025-12-30T21:46:03

During the 20th century, handbills were campaign workhorses. Larger than palm cards but slighter than multi-page pamphlets, handbills are typically single sheets, printed on one or both sides, sometimes folded. Campaign handbills contain endorsements, catchy taglines, soaring rhetoric, and policy statements. Pick your candidate from a century’s worth of wordy congressional campaign examples from the House Collection.

Celebrating American Archives Month

2025-12-30T21:44:58

October is American Archives Month! This month, the Office of the Historian and the Office of Art & Archives hope to inspire researchers and archivists with the stories behind the stories.

Velvet on Iron: The Rise of Speaker Longworth

2025-12-30T21:44:18

On December 3, 1923, just hours into Opening Day of the 68th Congress (1923–1925), Nicholas Longworth of Ohio, the newly installed House Republican Leader, surveyed his fractious majority as it deadlocked over the election of the Speaker. Over the course of four votes that day, a small but determined cohort of progressive Republicans had stifled the party’s leadership, including Frederick Gillett of Massachusetts.

Edition for Educators—Congressional Primary Sources 102

2025-12-30T21:43:51

This blog shows you where to find documents, artwork, and oral histories about Congress for your research. It also gives you a tour of classroom resources, like primary source sets and graphic organizers, to enrich your research experience. Whether you are a teacher, student, researcher, or congressional staff member, these primary sources are available for you to use.

“¡Unidos!”: Building a Hispanic American Political Coalition

2025-12-30T21:42:30

In October 1971, more than a thousand people from across the country descended upon Washington, DC, on a mission to transform U.S. politics. They were Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, Cuban Americans, and members of other Hispanic-American communities. They had been called to the nation’s capital in part by two visionary lawmakers—Representative Edward Roybal of California and Representative Herman Badillo of New York—with the goal of assembling their political forces into a “National Spanish-Speaking Coalition.”

National History Day 2024: “Turning Points”

2025-09-25T17:57:41

The History, Art & Archives team has gathered resources based on this year’s National History Day (NHD) theme to inspire and assist student researchers with choosing their project. The material highlights turning points in American history with a focus on the U.S. House of Representatives.

Recent Artifacts Online, Fall 2023

2025-12-30T21:43:18

Have a laugh with some newly digitized objects from the House Collection. This season, we are featuring cartoons from the pen of distinguished children’s book illustrator Aurelius Battaglia. Years before his work with Little Golden Books, young Battaglia cut his teeth drawing witty caricatures of politicians, an endeavor he continued for decades.

Edition for Educators—Introduction to House History Publications

2025-09-25T16:09:01

The History, Art & Archives Offices have produced several publications on the history of the institution and the people who’ve served in its halls. This Edition for Educators provides a brief overview of a selection of publications, as well as unique supplemental resources for each publication available on the History, Art and Archives website.

The Legacy of a Lie, Part 2: Injuries—Political and Physical

2025-12-30T21:38:48

When William S. Moore, a visitor to the Capitol from Kentucky, fired a gun near the House Chamber doors on April 23, 1844, wounding Capitol Police Officer John L. Wirt, 20 years of conspiracies and resentment over the election of 1824 collided with a culture of political violence that had grown increasingly routine on Capitol Hill.

The Records of a Young Republic: Revolution and the New Nation (1754–1820s)

2025-12-30T21:40:22

During this formative period, the young nation achieved and defended its independence, established a new government, expanded geographically, and sought economic prosperity. Explore the foundational years of the United States with these records from the House of Representatives.

Collection Spotlight: The Portrait of Shirley Chisholm

2025-12-30T21:36:24

How might an artist go about expressing the character of a well-known individual like Shirley Chisholm in a portrait? The array of ideas seen in preparatory sketches helps viewers understand how the artistic vision evolved, and what other characteristics and settings were tried out before the artist created this final version of the portrait.

Who Controls the House?: The Discharge Petition and Legislative Power in the New Deal Congress

2025-12-30T21:35:58

Illinois’s Henry Rainey was known for his independence and had spent the bulk of his political career working to democratize the lawmaking process. But the demands of the Great Depression tested the new Speaker. The question became whether—or how—he could balance his longstanding commitment to decentralized power in the House with his responsibilities as Speaker. Nowhere would this be clearer than in his approach to the discharge petition.

Edition for Educators—Congressional Primary Sources 101

2025-12-30T21:35:43

It can be difficult to know where to start when researching the history of the House of Representatives. After all, Congress produces a lot of documents. This month’s Edition for Educators provides some background on the abundance of congressional source material while guiding researchers on their scholarly pursuits.

Remote Possibilities: The Early History of Videoconferencing Technology in the House

2025-12-30T21:34:53

On the morning of October 9, 1991—long before the COVID-19 pandemic ushered in an era of Zoom calls and online meetings—George E. Brown of California, chairman of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, gaveled his committee to order in what appeared to be a science fiction theater.

Black Americans in Congress

2025-12-30T21:34:35

The Office of the Historian has launched a revised web exhibition, Black Americans in Congress, that spans more than 150 years in the history of African Americans in Congress, including individual Member profiles, images, contextual essays, and historical data concerning committee service, leadership positions, significant legislation, and more.

Recent Artifacts Online, Summer 2023

2025-12-30T21:35:14

This summer’s newly digitized collection treasures are brought to you by the letter S: seals, statues, subways, and even the Senate.

Collection Spotlight: The Portrait of Joseph Rainey

2025-12-30T21:33:32

This stately painting of Representative Joseph Rainey is displayed in the Capitol. Born enslaved, Rainey was the first African American to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives, the first to preside over the House, and the longest-serving Black lawmaker in Congress during the 19th century.

New House Speaker Portrait: Paul Ryan

2025-12-30T21:33:12

The House of Representatives unveiled a new portrait of Speaker Paul D. Ryan today. Ryan was elected Speaker of the House on October 29, 2015. The painting joins a collection of historical portraits of former House Speakers.

Edition for Educators—Hawaii: The Long Road to Statehood

2025-12-30T21:32:48

As part of Asian and Pacific Islander American Heritage Month, this Edition for Educators focuses on Hawaii’s journey to statehood and the rich history of the Territorial Delegates who sought to broaden their home’s influence on the American mainland while preserving and expanding the rights of the Islands’ people.

A Tale of Two Studios

2025-12-30T21:33:48

Why does the House Collection have so many photographs of multiple, surprisingly amateurish studio sets? The images are all obviously staged, and each one shows a Member of Congress at a desk in a faux office with an unconvincing view of the Capitol.

The Fight for Fair Housing in the House: “To Guarantee a Basic American Right”

2025-12-30T21:31:24

In a letter on April 5, 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson reminded Speaker John W. McCormack that fair housing legislation, one of his key promises designed “to guarantee a basic American right,” had long been obstructed in Congress. But only a day earlier, the fair housing proposal took on sudden urgency on Capitol Hill.

“The Speaker Bluffed You” — Joe Cannon and the 1910 Motion to Vacate the Chair

2025-12-30T21:31:08

Longtime House leader Joseph G. Cannon of Illinois once said he lost and won the Speakership on March 19, 1910. His reversal of fortune had hinged on a daring gamble.

A Portrait by a Lady

2025-12-30T21:31:53

Cecilia Beaux’s reputation as a leading American portrait artist was well established in 1912 when Representative John Dalzell engaged her to paint a portrait of Sereno Payne, his colleague on the Ways and Means Committee. Beaux’s documentation gives us an unusual first-person account of how she worked and how the first Ways and Means committee chair portrait made its way to the House.

Recent Artifacts Online, Spring 2023

2025-12-30T21:30:22

It’s March, and we have new artifacts online. Take a look at springtime delights from the House Collection.

Joe Cannon’s Long Goodbye

2025-12-30T21:30:38

A little after 10:00 p.m. on March 3, 1923, Representative Joseph G. Cannon of Illinois, the longtime Republican lawmaker and former Speaker, strolled through the House Chamber down the center aisle and into the well before stopping in front of the rostrum to seek recognition from the presiding officer. Cannon had walked that route countless times during his almost 50 years on Capitol Hill. But his trip that night would be one of his last.

The “Imperishable Truth:” Early Efforts to Commemorate African-American History in Congress

2025-12-30T21:29:47

In congressional debates and legislation in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Black lawmakers proposed and often secured funding for historic preservation efforts, public exhibitions, commemorative events, and historical studies to recognize individual and collective achievements by African Americans.

Edition for Educators—African Americans Who Helped Run Congress

2025-12-30T21:29:29

Since Hiram R. Revels became Senator in February 1870, a total of 186 African-American lawmakers have served as Senators, Representatives, and Delegates in Congress. Long before Revels arrived in the Senate, however, African Americans had shaped Capitol Hill and Congress. Since the 1790s, unelected Black men and women—many of whom were enslaved before the Civil War—made significant contributions to the daily operations of the legislative branch.

Classroom Ready: A New Westward Expansion Primary Source Set

2025-12-30T21:29:08

Explore the growth of the United States with our primary source set on westward expansion. Created for classroom use, this new collection of House records, art, and photographs examines the country’s growth through various themes. The primary sources cover the treatment of Native Americans, Manifest Destiny, the expansion of slavery, conservation of natural resources, and more.

And Then Things Got Weird

2025-12-30T21:28:30

Step through the looking glass into the House Collection’s surreal photos of people and spaces.

Best of the Blog in 2022

2022-12-30T15:32:11

In 2022, the Office of the Historian and the Office of Art and Archives published 35 blog posts exploring the stories of the House of Representatives. As we launch into a new Congress in a new year, we’re featuring six of our favorite blog posts for readers to revisit or to enjoy for the first time.

A Majority or a Coalition? The Speaker Election of 1917

2025-12-30T21:26:46

On April 2, 1917, 428 Members-elect of the 65th Congress (1917–1919) gathered under unusual circumstances in the House Chamber to open the new legislative term. Because neither Republicans nor Democrats seemed set to capture an outright majority in the House, attention came to center on the handful of third-party lawmakers whose votes were pivotal to determining the Speaker election.

New House Speaker Portrait: Nancy Pelosi

2025-12-30T21:26:31

Today, the House of Representatives unveiled a new portrait of Speaker Nancy Pelosi. On January 4, 2007, Pelosi became the first woman to serve as Speaker of the House. The painting joins a collection of historical portraits of former House Speakers.

The Return of the House’s Puzzling Pastime

2025-12-30T21:27:19

Ahead of Crossword Puzzle Day on December 21, the Office of the House Historian invites you to grab a cup of coffee and take a break with our newest crossword puzzle.

Recent Artifacts Online, Winter 2022

2023-07-21T17:36:02

Curl up with a cup of tea or hot chocolate and the latest treasures added to our online collections.

New on Records Search: The Emergence of Modern America to the Contemporary United States (1890–Present)

2025-12-30T21:25:32

New primary sources added to Records Search are ready to use in the classroom. Explore records from the emergence of modern America to the contemporary United States (1890–present). Each document includes a downloadable PDF of the record, primary source analysis worksheet, and transcription if the document is handwritten.

New on Records Search: The American Revolution to the Development of the Industrial United States (1754–1900)

2025-12-30T21:25:18

New primary sources added to Records Search are ready to use in the classroom. Each document includes a downloadable PDF of the record, primary source analysis worksheet, and transcription if the document is handwritten. Below is a selection of the most recently added records, conveniently organized by historical era and including a related discussion question and options for learning more.

Ticking Off History

2025-12-30T21:25:57

Most clocks in the House of Representatives are functional objects designed to ensure the smooth running of the legislature. There are about 3,000 of them, wired to a system that synchronizes timekeeping, lights, and buzzers across the campus. Other timepieces in the House are statelier than utilitarian. They provide reminders that even while it deals with urgent matters, the House also takes the long view of history. From fancy to plain, peruse some of the historic clocks in the House.

Southwest from the Capitol

2025-12-30T21:23:57

In 1877, when this photograph was taken, most sightseers never visited this part of the city. But behind the scenes, Washington’s smallest quadrant kept the metropolis humming, and its residents fought for recognition. Take a closer look to see what the tourists missed.

Edition for Educators—New Mexico

2025-12-30T21:23:42

Since the 1850s, New Mexico has accounted for an outsized number of the Hispanic-American Members who have served in Congress. Acquired by the United States at the conclusion of the U.S.-Mexico War, Congress admitted New Mexico as a territory via the Compromise of 1850, a political settlement that formally admitted much of what is now the southwestern portion of the United States. Since Jose Manuel Gallegos won election to the House as its second Territorial Delegate in 1853, a total of 21 Hispanic Americans have represented New Mexico in Congress.

Recovering Representation in California: Roybal’s Historic House Election

2025-12-30T21:24:23

In 1962, Edward Roybal became the first Hispanic American in almost a century to be elected to the U.S. Congress from the state of California. His victory was a milestone for the Mexican-American community of Los Angeles, which had long struggled for a meaningful voice in the city. But the implications of his win would be felt far beyond southern California. Roybal’s first election to the House of Representatives, 60 years ago this November, provided a foundation for the massive expansion of Latino political influence in districts across the country over the ensuing decades.

National History Day 2023: “Frontiers”

2025-12-30T21:22:44

As students prepare to participate in this year’s National History Day (NHD), the History, Art & Archives team has compiled topics and resources to inspire and assist aspiring researchers.

Recent Artifacts Online, Summer 2022

2025-12-30T21:22:55

Spend a lazy afternoon browsing the House Collection. From cartoons to portraits to cubicles, it’s all here online. Here are a few of our most recently digitized treasures.

Edition for Educators—Libraries

2025-12-30T21:22:02

America’s earliest legislators were voracious readers. Congress quickly evinced interest in creating its own libraries. This Edition for Educators explores the connections between the House of Representatives, congressional libraries, and the library system at large.

The Legacy of a Lie: Floor Fight and a Gunshot

2025-12-30T21:21:35

On April 23, 1844, as the House sat in the Committee of the Whole to debate a tariff measure, the presiding officer recognized John White, a Whig from Kentucky, who had served as Speaker of the House in the prior Congress. White quickly veered off script, and the chamber quickly spun out of control. As chamber officials rushed to restore order, a gun shot rang out at the rear of the chamber and a Capitol Police officer was left gravely injured.

Adele Fassett, Washington’s Trendsetting Woman Portraitist

2025-12-30T21:21:20

The story of how the Appropriations Committee ended up with two 19th-century portraits of chairs entwines itself with the career of the woman who created them, Adele Fassett.

Edition for Educators—Ways and Means

2025-12-30T21:20:53

The Ways and Means Committee remains a vital element in most large-scale legislation—ranging from tax bills to health care due to its broad jurisdiction over revenue measures. This Edition for Educators focuses on the committee’s origins, some of its leading people, and House collection objects related to its history.

Out with the Old

2025-12-30T21:20:30

No matter how cutting edge they are when new, over time, even the shiniest gadgets become outmoded. In their quest to communicate with constituents, speed up work, and keep accurate records, House Members and staff have moved toward ever-newer tools of technology, leaving obsolete versions behind. Explore a selection of archaic office tools from around the House of Representatives, now preserved in the House Collection.

New House Portrait: Patsy Takemoto Mink

2025-12-30T21:19:13

Today, the House of Representatives unveiled a new portrait of Representative Patsy Mink. The first woman of color and first Asian-American woman elected to Congress, in 1964, Mink’s work led to significant changes in education in the United States, including Title IX of the Education Act of 1972.

Edition for Educators—Watergate

2025-12-30T21:18:58

Fifty years ago, on June 17, 1972, officers with the Metropolitan police department apprehended five men during a break-in at the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee located in the Watergate complex along the Potomac River in Washington, DC. The arrests set off a chain of events that ended with the resignation of Richard M. Nixon as President in August 1974. This Edition for Educators highlights the role of the House of Representatives during the Watergate scandal and its aftermath.

Recent Artifacts Online, Spring 2022

2025-12-30T21:19:39

Collections Search is blooming with springtime additions! They join the thousands of paintings, photos, and artifacts that are already available online.

Edition for Educators—Patsy Mink of Hawaii

2025-12-30T21:18:09

Fifty years ago, the final version of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 passed the U.S. House of Representatives. One of the women at the center of this landmark legislative effort was Representative Patsy Takemoto Mink of Hawaii, who was first elected in 1964 becoming the first woman of color to serve in Congress. After its initial passage, Mink spent the balance of her political career defending Title IX. This month’s Edition for Educators highlights Representative Mink and the statute which eventually bore her name.

The Commencement Stand-In

2025-12-30T21:17:52

The Capitol Page School’s 1954 commencement ceremonies included an unexpected speaker. Listen to newly digitized audio recordings of this unusual graduation.

Edition for Educators—Mothers in Congress

2025-12-30T21:18:42

Striking a balance between work and family has long been a central part of the lives of working women—no less so for Members of Congress. This month’s Edition for Educators highlights stories of motherhood in Congress.

Edition for Educators—National Poetry Month

2025-12-30T21:17:11

This Edition for Educators celebrates the tradition of poetry in all its forms in the history of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Signed and Sealed

2025-12-30T21:17:30

In 1794, the House amended its rules to include the stipulation that an official seal be used for “all writs, warrants, or subpoenas, issued by the order of House.” More than two centuries later, the Clerk of the House continues to impress the House Seal, whose use is protected by law, on the House’s official documents.

“Out to Offer the Services of the Library”

2025-12-30T21:16:32

In the mid-twentieth century, bookmobile service boomed in large part because of an act of Congress. The Library Services Act of 1956 opened access to library resources in rural areas by providing matching grants to the states and territories. Many jurisdictions used this funding to purchase bookmobiles. The Library Services Act transformed the relationship between the federal government and one of America’s oldest institutions: the public library.

Edition for Educators—Behind the Scenes: Pathbreaking Women Staff

2025-12-30T21:16:11

This Edition for Educators explores the experiences of women who—through their challenges and triumphs—have transformed Congress and opened new opportunities for others to work in government.

Fisherman's Luck

2025-12-30T21:15:56

After the 83rd Congress (1953–1955) adjourned sine die in late August 1954, a reporter from the Baltimore Sun caught up with Representative Edward Tylor Miller of Maryland and asked about his late summer plans. The first thing on his to-do list, Miller said, was to go fishing.

Recent Artifacts Online, Winter 2022

2025-12-30T21:16:50

Take a look at newly digitized artifacts in Collections Search. They join the thousands already available online, from portraits to ribbons.

Five Best Capitol Snow Scenes

2025-12-30T21:15:12

When the capital gets a snowstorm, Washingtonians famously lose their cool: runs on milk and bread, kids eager for school closures, and drivers sliding and slipping on icy streets. The House Collection contains more than 150 years’ worth of images of Capitol Hill covered in snow.

Maps in the Archives: A Pop of Color

2025-12-30T21:14:57

It’s easy to be engrossed by a detailed map, especially when that map is bursting with color! It’s not unusual to find these colorful documents tucked away in an archival box of the House’s official records. Examine a selection of the eye-catching maps maintained in House records.

Edition for Educators—The Congressional Black Caucus

2025-12-30T21:15:35

This Edition for Educators highlights material on the Congressional Black Caucus.

Classroom Ready: A New Prohibition Primary Source Set

2025-12-30T21:14:03

Dive into America’s infamous dry period with our new primary source set on Prohibition, geared to teachers and students.

Recent Additions to Records Search

2025-12-30T21:12:16

Among the primary sources recently added to Records Search, you can find House records related to the postal service, presidential messages, women in war, and other themes. Expand your knowledge of the historical and institutional context of these subjects by exploring the records.

Edition for Educators—Transportation and Infrastructure

2025-12-30T21:11:27

Since the First Continental Congress, America’s national legislature has taken responsibility in different ways for the transportation, communication, and trade networks necessary to a functioning society. To bolster the nation’s defenses and develop the country’s commerce, lawmakers used public resources to fund the construction of military installations, postal routes, lighthouses, and ports and harbors. This Edition for Educators highlights the House’s role in transportation and infrastructure.

Best of the Blog in 2021

2025-12-30T21:10:23

In 2021, the Office of the Historian and the Office of Art and Archives published 37 blog posts on a range of topics, including the last Doorkeeper, the fight for fair housing, a state lottery under congressional investigation, and the trailblazing women who worked and served in the 93rd Congress (1973–1975). While we plan new stories for 2022, we’ve looked back and selected six of our favorite and most-discussed posts for readers to revisit.

The House’s Puzzling Pastime

2025-12-30T21:10:10

Crossword puzzles became popular in America in the late 1920s, running as regular features in newspapers and published as compilations in puzzle books. Their popularity even led to a song: “Cross-word mamma, you puzzle me (But papa’s gonna figure you out).” In keeping with that history and in honor of December’s National Crossword Puzzle Day, we present to you a History, Art, & Archives puzzle to enjoy.

Recent Artifacts Online, Fall 2021

2025-12-30T21:10:43

All year, newly digitized artifacts join the thousands already available online. Take a look at a few added this autumn, and browse more of the House’s most eye-catching and recognizable objects at Collections Search.

“Somebody Was Going to Be the First”

2025-12-30T21:06:36

During the 1970s, amid the women’s liberation movement, women across the country fought for equal rights and for a louder voice in the decision-making process on a wide range of domestic and international issues. Capitol Hill also became more diverse, as women of color—Members and staff alike—won election to and took jobs in the House, changing a powerful workplace which had been dominated by White men since its inception.

National History Day 2022: “Debate and Diplomacy: Success, Failures, and Consequences”

2025-12-30T21:05:21

Finding research topics to inspire students competing in National History Day (NHD) can be challenging. To help start their projects, the History, Art & Archives team has listed a few topics that fit with this year’s theme: “Debate and Diplomacy: Success, Failures, and Consequences.” Use these resources—pulled from different sections of our website—to start on a new project.

Kitchen Table Campaigning

2025-12-30T21:07:10

About 30 years after the 19th Amendment was ratified in 1920, political campaigns increasingly targeted women for votes. Political appeals to women were by no means a new idea. However, women’s relatively recent victory in winning the right to vote, coupled with postwar sexism, added modern twists to old traditions of looking for women’s political support.

Maps in the Archives: Dark Graphics

2025-12-30T21:04:01

The following maps capture three of the nation’s darkest moments with striking and sometimes shocking images.

Edition for Educators—Hispanic Leadership in the House

2025-12-30T21:04:18

In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, this Edition for Educators highlights Hispanic Representatives in leadership roles throughout the history of the House.

The Man Who Kept Opening Doors Until He Became the Doorkeeper

2025-12-30T21:03:06

A self-proclaimed “political creature,” James T. “Jim” Molloy left an enduring mark on the Capitol during his decades in Washington. Using a unique blend of scrappiness, charm, and his deep roots in New York state politics, Molloy created a network of allies who vaulted him to one of the most influential staff positions on the Hill. After little more than five years working for the House, he won a prized appointment as the House Doorkeeper by ousting a longtime incumbent. Molloy assumed office, he recalled, feeling “like a kid in a candy store,” perfectly at home in a position that seemed made for the affable South Buffalo native.

License to Legislate

2025-12-30T21:02:48

Congressional license plates may have been just thin strips of metal affixed to the top of a regular license plate, but the plates ended up giving Members of Congress motoring superpowers.

Edition for Educators—September 11, 2001

2025-12-30T21:03:21

As the worst terrorist attack in United States history unfolded on the morning of September 11, 2001, federal officials, lawmakers, and congressional staff took unprecedented steps to maintain government operations and protect the House of Representatives and the people on the Capitol campus. In this Edition for Educators, we look back on the day and its aftermath 20 years later.

Pictures of an Impeachment

2025-12-30T21:01:34

On February 24, 1868, the House of Representatives impeached President Andrew Johnson. This first-ever presidential impeachment captured the public’s attention, and mass-produced images—the up-and-coming visual media—fed the hunger for details.

Edition for Educators—Records Search

2025-12-30T21:01:07

This Edition for Educators showcases the types of primary sources available on Records Search. Engage students and bring history to life with original congressional records.

Edition for Educators – Voting Rights and the House

2025-12-30T21:01:59

Because the House has always been directly elected by the American people, its membership has often reflected changes to the country’s voting laws. And as more people won access to the ballot, the House grew increasingly diverse. This Edition for Educators features resources found on the History, Art & Archives website on the topic of voting rights.

“Here will I hold my stand”: James Tallmadge Jr. and the Fight to Stop the Spread of Slavery

2025-12-30T21:00:13

As a young man, James Tallmadge of New York challenged policymakers to uphold the principles of equality in the Declaration and make real a world devoid of slavery. Two decades later, when Tallmadge was one of those policymakers, he turned away from idealism of his youth and toward the legal might of the Constitution to limit slavery’s spread.

Northwest from the Capitol

2025-12-30T20:59:57

Take a close look at this “Bird’s-eye View” stereoview. The photographer pointed his camera northwest from the Capitol dome toward Indiana Avenue and clicked. The result shows a city exploding into being in the 1870s and 1880s.

Edition for Educators—First Federal Congress

2025-12-30T21:00:41

This Edition for Educators celebrates Independence Day with a look back at the First Federal Congress, first convened on March 4, 1789.

A Marvel among Swindles: The Louisiana State Lottery Company and the Post Office Department

2025-12-30T20:56:55

Records of the House Committee on Post Office and Post Roads and congressional sources help tell the dramatic story of congressional intervention into the 19th-century Louisiana State Lottery Company.

An Interbranch Brawl

2025-12-30T20:55:45

In 1915, a year after World War I engulfed the European continent, Democrat Frank Buchanan of Illinois declared that he was willing to go to any length to stop the United States from getting drawn into the conflict. Within months, however, the Congressman found himself in a little war of his own, not against a foreign adversary but with his own Justice Department.

Edition for Educators—The House Collection

2025-12-30T20:57:18

Home to more than 13,000 artifacts and works of art, the House Collection encompasses the institution’s history. This Edition for Educators highlights pieces that reflect the relationship between material culture and the history of the nation’s legislature.

Space Oddity

2025-12-30T20:30:44

Five paintings in the House Collection show how Science Committee chairs shared national enthusiasm for extraterrestrial exploration and embedded allusions to America’s space program in their portraits.

Edition for Educators—Resident Commissioners from the Philippine Islands

2025-12-30T20:29:50

As the only American territory with representation in Congress to ever achieve its independence, the Philippines’ transition from colonial status to freedom is intertwined with the history of the archipelago’s Resident Commissioners to Congress. This Edition for Educators highlights Filipino Resident Commissioners, who represented the territory as Members of Congress during the first half of the twentieth century.

Bums, Beatniks, and Birds: The House Responds to Anti-Vietnam War Protests

2025-12-30T20:31:21

Setting draft cards on fire may have sparked outrage on Capitol Hill in 1965, but within a matter of years a new generation of lawmakers offered a far more sympathetic audience.

The Fight for Fair Housing in the House:
A “Long, Tortuous and Difficult Road”

2025-12-30T20:28:26

Following the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, Lyndon B. Johnson, in his 1966 State of the Union Address, called for additional legislation to “prohibit racial discrimination in the sale or rental of housing.” Over the next two years, Johnson’s new housing measure—known as the Fair Housing Act—traveled what he called a “long, tortuous and difficult road,” exposing the limits of his Great Society agenda and forcing Congress to consider more expansive civil rights protections.

Learn Something New Every Day

2025-12-30T20:27:42

A tin bank, model voting machine, coloring book, and board game are included in the House Collection. While some are toys meant for children and others are aids for lifelong learners, all have congressional themes. In addition to their primary use, they also communicate the importance of civic engagement and the functions of Congress.

Bathing the Capitol

2025-12-30T20:27:18

In November 1899, Washington, DC, loaned the Architect of the Capitol a fire engine, along with its firemen, for a special task: to give the Capitol a bath. As House Collection photographs show, the custom continued for more than 60 years.

The First Resource

2025-12-30T20:29:02

Debuting the week of November 9, 1998, the Online Biographical Directory of the United States Congress combined three key components to help users discover more about every Member of Congress: biographical information, the location and scope of known research collections, and a list of published material in a bibliography. Now the “Bioguide” is entering the 21st Century at long last.

The “Very Deserving Case” of Harriet Tubman

2025-12-30T20:24:32

A legendary figure in American history, Harriet Tubman’s story is well-known and widely celebrated. But her struggle, ultimately unsuccessful, to be compensated by the federal government for her service during the Civil War is less well-known. In 1865, after three years of dedicated service to the United States Army as a nurse, spy, and soldier, she started a long quest to secure the compensation she never received from the government.

Too Fast Too Furious: Uncle Joe Gets Driven Out

2025-12-30T20:24:06

On March 15, 1910, House Speaker Joe Cannon of Illinois suffered a rare legislative setback when 14 of his fellow Republicans joined Democrats to cut funding for the routine maintenance of his official government automobile. By all appearances, it seemed like a minor, personal rebuke. But in this case, it foreshadowed a much larger problem for one of the most powerful Speakers in American history.

Edition for Educators—Through the Glass Ceiling

2025-12-30T20:26:47

For Women’s History Month, this Edition for Educators highlights some of the women who have broken glass ceilings in the House of Representatives.

The Superhero Style of Robert Smalls

2025-12-30T20:22:31

A dramatic backstory helped to launch Robert Smalls’s congressional career in the 1870s. A century later, the daring ship captain and Civil War hero’s story reappeared in the public eye as the subject of a volume of Golden Legacy, a comic book format Black history series for children.

Fast and Furious I: Danville Drift

2025-12-30T20:22:11

In 1909 Congress appropriated money specifically to purchase automobiles for the President; only months later, it considered providing the Speaker and the Vice President with similar funding. But not every Member believed the government should spend public money on what would essentially be a private car, and not every Member wanted to give Joe Cannon such a generous perk.

Edition for Educators—Joseph H. Rainey of South Carolina

2025-12-30T20:22:49

For Black History Month, this Edition for Educators celebrates the life and career of Representative Joseph Hayne Rainey.

Starring Hazel Scott as Herself

2025-12-30T20:11:08

Civil rights, Congress, and the performances of jazz pianist Hazel Scott coincided in the late 1940s and early 1950s. “I’ve been brash all my life, and it’s gotten me into a lot of trouble,” Scott said. “But at the same time, speaking out has sustained me and given meaning to my life.”

Thanking the Troops

2025-12-30T20:10:49

When the first cannon shots of the Civil War landed on Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor on April 12, 1861, the Abraham Lincoln administration confronted a rebellion against the United States and an urgent security problem in the nation’s capital. When Virginia seceded from the Union on April 17, only the Potomac River separated Washington from the hostile ambitions of the Confederacy. In those anxious April days the city was—in President Lincoln’s own words—“put into a condition of siege.”

Edition for Educators—Impeachment

2025-12-30T20:10:15

In response to many reference inquiries received about the history of impeachment, this Edition for Educators highlights some of the resources available on the History, Art & Archives website.

Edition for Educators—Opening Day

2025-12-30T20:19:47

Each Opening Day in the House of Representatives is an exciting, often historic, event. Recently elected Members, often accompanied by their families, swear their oaths of office and snap pictures with new colleagues and congressional leaders. Special furniture and House artifacts are brought out of storage for an event that happens only once every two years. This Edition for Educators throws the House Chamber doors wide open for Opening Day!

Best of the Blog in 2020

2025-09-26T19:38:30

This year, the Office of the Historian and the Office of Art and Archives published 44 blog posts on a range of topics, including congressional nicknames, stamp collecting, the apportionment process, and the 1870 election of Joseph Hayne Rainey, the first Black Member of the House of Representatives. As we reflect on a tumultuous and difficult year, we’ve selected eight of our favorite and most discussed posts for readers to revisit.

Joseph Rainey and Reconstruction’s Promise

2025-09-26T19:38:05

On December 12, 1870, newspapers across the nation heralded the swearing in of Joseph H. Rainey of South Carolina as the first African-American Member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Rainey not only represented his South Carolina district. He also represented, he said, “the outraged and oppressed negro population of this country, those I may strictly call my constituency.”

The Parliamentarian’s Scrapbook

2025-09-26T19:37:27

The Parliamentarian's index finger rests on one precise spot in his scrapbook of precedents—the important reference file of a man known for his influence.

“The Bulwark of Freedom”: African-American Members of Congress and the Constitution During Reconstruction

2025-09-26T19:36:57

On December 9, 1873, the National Civil Rights Convention drew several hundred African-American activists to Washington, DC. Attendees recognized that gains had been made in the Black struggle for equality during Reconstruction, but called on Congress to pass sweeping civil rights legislation, noting that recent “declarations recognizing our entitlement to all of our rights, with essential ones withheld, render the grievances even more intolerable.”

Congress and the Case of the Faithless Elector

2025-09-26T19:36:14

On January 6, 1969, Representative James O’Hara of Michigan took a seat on the House Floor for what seemed like a routine day of business. Since the late nineteenth century, the Electoral College count had occurred every four years without incident. This year, however, would be different.

“By Any Fair Means”: Joseph H. Rainey’s Contested Elections

2025-09-26T19:35:10

When Joseph H. Rainey of South Carolina served in the House of Representatives from 1870 to 1879 as its first Black Representative, the political inroads made during Reconstruction by Blacks in the South started to disintegrate rapidly. The contested election was weaponized as a method of excluding African Americans from representation in Congress.

How Gallery Tickets Were Born

2025-09-26T19:34:42

On February 21, 1868, a one-sentence resolution in the House of Representatives brought thousands running to the Capitol: “That Andrew Johnson, President of the United States, be impeached of high crimes and misdemeanors.” Alongside the national consequences of impeachment, massive public interest caused a smaller development: the introduction of gallery passes.

Edition for Educators—Elections and the House

2025-09-26T19:33:46

Every four years, the nation’s attention turns to the presidential election. But that contest is only part of the story for the candidates who run every two years to fill 440 of the 441 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. This Edition for Educators highlights a few of the many campaign and election resources found on the History, Art & Archives website.

Palm Reading

2025-09-26T19:33:16

A palm card is possibly the simplest piece of congressional campaign literature: a single piece of cardstock containing information about a candidate. In scores of congressional races from 1900 to 1960, palm cards were also the smallest pieces of literature in a campaign’s toolbox.

The Apportionment Act of 1842: Legal, When Convenient

2025-09-26T19:32:48

The debate in Congress over the Apportionment Act of 1842 had been brutal, and foes of the bill remained steadfast in their opposition. For 18 months, from Tyler’s signing statement in the summer of 1842 to the opening of the 28th Congress (1843–1845) in December 1843, the question lingered: Was the Apportionment Act law or merely a suggestion?

The Fallout

2025-09-26T19:32:23

In 2015, House curators carefully unpacked water purification tablets, surgical soap, gauze pads, and a toothache remedy from Medical Kit C. The large cardboard box and the basic medical supplies it contained are artifacts of Cold War–era Washington, when the threat of nuclear attack hung over the country, and officials stockpiled emergency food, water, and medicine across the Capitol complex.

We’ve Redesigned Our Oral History Section

2025-09-26T19:31:29

In August 2020, we launched the redesigned Oral History section of the website. The new design makes it easier to browse all interviewees, filter by their positions and service dates, and access all available full transcripts in PDF format. The highlight of the redesign is a searchable database of oral history audio and video clips. Users can use a free text search and filter clips by events, themes, or interview subjects.

The Not So “Prompt and Ample Relief” of Polly Lemon

2025-09-26T19:30:22

Not much is known about Polly Lemon—where she was born, who her parents were, how she lived. But research into an 1833 petition filed in the official records of the House of Representatives opens a small window onto the life of an early female settler on the Louisiana frontier. Although women could petition Congress and single women were permitted to own land during the early 19th century, few exercised these freedoms as Polly did.

“Catalyst for Change”: The 1972 Presidential Campaign of Representative Shirley Chisholm

2025-09-26T19:29:48

Since its first publication in 1951, Jet magazine had been on the forefront covering news and issues important to its African-American readership. Widely popular for its commentary on politics, culture, and the lives of everyday people, Jet posed a question in June 1971 that would soon prove prophetic: “Should a Black Politician Run for President?”

Where the Seats Have No Name

2025-09-26T19:29:22

The year 1913 dawned with a conundrum. There were 401 desks and chairs in the crowded House Chamber and 440 people who needed a seat when Congress convened in the spring. How could each Member of Congress claim a chair?

Capitol Art & Artifacts: Girandole

2025-09-26T19:28:49

In a quiet corner of today’s Speaker’s Ceremonial Office hangs a girandole mirror. When candles are lit, light bounces off the mirror. The House’s girandole dates from the first half of the 19th century and boasts a Capitol provenance from its association with an early Clerk of the House of Representatives.

“Which Side Are You On?”

2025-09-26T19:28:19

On July 14, 1955, John F. Pickett, a deputy U.S. Marshall for the Southern District of New York, traveled to Beacon, New York. The town had been founded in the early eighteenth century and later grew into a bustling commercial port. During the American Revolution, lookouts lit bonfires atop the surrounding hills to signal the approach of British troops—beacons, for which the town was later named. In the summer of 1955, Pickett made his way north in the shadow of those same hills to deliver a far different message to a resident of Beacon.

A Congressional Made Man

2025-09-26T19:27:37

In the winter of 1842, inventor Samuel F. B. Morse nervously wrote to his brother Sidney Morse from Washington, DC. Morse hoped that the House of Representatives would appropriate $30,000 “to test the practicability of establishing a system of electro magnetic telegraphs.”

Edition for Educators—Remembrance in the Capitol

2025-09-26T19:27:07

Though typically bustling with the business of legislation, there are times when Congress pauses to reflect, grieve, and memorialize the passing of national figures. Conscious of its place on the national stage, Congress occasionally offers the Capitol Rotunda or House Chamber as a place for the public to mourn and celebrate the lives of dedicated and notable citizens.

South from the Capitol

2025-09-26T19:26:02

The same year America celebrated its 100th birthday, a photographer perched on the Capitol’s eastern pediment to photograph the view. The resulting stereoview, an early 3-D photograph sold as a souvenir, captures Washington in 1876, looking southeast across the House portico to the swiftly changing neighborhood. A closer look at contemporaneous images in the House Collection shows just how fast the area changed.

“I’m Not Going to Waste It”

2025-09-26T19:24:54

From February 1959 to June 1961, James Johnson attended the Capitol Page School, a one-of-a-kind learning environment for high schoolers working for the House, Senate, and Supreme Court. Johnson was one of the first African-American students admitted to the school, but because of a mix-up—the details of which remain unclear even today—he never received an official appointment as a Page like the rest of his classmates. But Johnson credits his experience at the Page School and working for the House for setting him on the path to a distinguished medical career with the U.S. Navy.

What Does “Civilization” Look Like?

2025-09-26T19:24:23

Reconstruction Era illustrations from Harper’s Weekly both showed and told their audience about new civil rights laws and gave them a graphic sense of changes in America.

Edition for Educators—Hamilton and the House

2025-09-26T19:23:36

In honor of the television debut of one of history’s favorite Broadway stars, this Edition for Educators explores how the life of Alexander Hamilton, a Member of the Continental Congress, intersected with the early history of the House of Representatives.

Notes from Underground, Part II: The Rayburn Subway

2025-09-26T19:21:40

When the dust settled after construction of the first House and Senate Office Buildings, only the Senate had a subway line. Representatives had to wait—and walk—until the Rayburn House Office Building opened in 1965.

Fighting the Filibuster

2025-09-26T19:22:10

Wednesday, January 3, 1810, seemed like a day that would never end in the House of Representatives.

Centennial of the Department of Labor Women’s Bureau

2025-09-26T19:20:22

The Women’s Bureau of the Department of Labor, created by Congress 100 years ago on June 5, 1920, still exists today. Established at a time when women were moving into the workforce but were still months away from having the right to vote, the Women’s Bureau studied and advocated for working women.

How Congress Helped Feed, then Kill, the Postcard Craze

2025-09-26T18:31:11

In 1896, Congress fueled a postcard craze, completely by accident, when it introduced Rural Free Delivery of mail. A little more than a decade later, Congress kneecapped the phenomenon, again inadvertently. Representatives hoped the Payne-Aldrich Tariff of 1909 would help American printers cash in on postcards’ popularity. Instead, it ended up hurting the industry and undercutting the entire fad.

Edition for Educators — House History for Remote Learning

2025-09-26T18:30:19

With schools closed amid the pandemic, the Offices of History, Art & Archives have put together lesson plans and resources to help everyone continue to learn about history of the House of Representatives and what role it plays in America’s unique system of government.

“I Do Hope You Can See Me Today:” Queen Elizabeth II's Address

2026-04-27T18:54:43

About 20 minutes before noon, on Thursday, May 16, 1991, Members and Senators packed the House Chamber for a historic Joint Meeting of Congress. A small platform had been placed on the middle level of the rostrum, hidden from view, and a straight-backed chair a few feet over had been specially reserved. At the rostrum’s microphone stood a bespectacled woman in a peach-colored hat.

Notes from Underground, Part I: The Book Tunnel

2025-09-26T18:28:30

For more than a century, a tunnel ran between the Capitol and the Library of Congress to what is now known as the Thomas Jefferson Building. Using iron rails, electricity, and an endless cable, the underground shaft automatically shuttled books to Members of Congress. “There is nothing like it in this country or, so far as known, in any other,” the Washington Post told readers in 1895.

Can I Have this Dance?

2025-09-26T18:25:40

In 1973, American square dancers tried to call the tune with the House of Representatives, urging it to act quickly on legislation near and dear to their hearts. “What’s the hold up? Get busy now. Let’s not wait any longer,” one demanded. “We’re still waiting for some results,” another pressed, concerned that a years-long petition drive to enshrine the uniquely American folk dance was proceeding more like a slow waltz than an up-tempo jig.

Edition for Educators—The Agriculture Committee Bicentennial

2025-09-26T18:24:50

On April 29, 1820, North Carolina Representative Lewis Williams rose to address what he saw as an injustice in the House of Representatives. Williams pointed out that the House already had a Committee on Manufactures which received petitions from commercial interests, but that it lacked an equivalent committee to consider the interests of America’s farmers. “When agriculture is oppressed, and makes complaint, what tribunal is in this House to hear and determine on the grievance?” he asked.

Bringing Electronic Votes to Congress

2025-09-26T18:23:50

On January 23, 1973, Members counted down to the conclusion of the historic first electronic vote, which would shift House voting procedures into the 20th century. However, this moment almost failed to launch.

Tour the Capitol from Home

2025-09-26T18:20:13

Ordinarily, the U.S. Capitol in springtime bustles with visiting school groups and vacationing families from around the world. For visitors who cannot travel to Washington this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the History, Art, and Archives website has a number of resources that visitors can use to learn about some of the Capitol’s statues, landmarks, and art, as well as stories about the people, places, artifacts, and events that make Congress unique.

Edition for Educators—Madam Chairman

2025-09-26T18:18:31

This month’s Edition for Educators celebrates Women’s History Month by turning the focus to the many women who have chaired committees in the U.S. House of Representatives. Today, a record seven women chair House committees in the 116th Congress (2019–2021), and many more chair subcommittees responsible for significant sections of legislation and oversight.

The “So Very Peculiar” Case of Sarah Seelye

2025-09-26T18:17:46

Sarah Seelye lived a seemingly ordinary life in Fort Scott, Kansas, in 1882. But as her health started to falter at age 43, she realized past adventures were catching up to her. Getting help meant revealing a decades-old secret to Congress: she illegally served in the Union army disguised as a man.

“How Does She Do This?”: Mothers in Congress

2025-09-26T18:15:38

To commemorate the centennial of the election of the first woman to Congress, Jeannette Rankin of Montana, the Office of the Historian conducted interviews with former women Members and staff. The interviews covered a range of topics, including a growing phenomenon—the election of women with young children. By 1998, more than 20 percent of women Members came to Congress with children under the age of 18.

Stamp of Genius

2025-09-26T18:14:33

Shirley Chisholm forever. (“Forever” stamp, that is.)

How the House Almost Added a 13th Month

2025-09-26T18:13:43

On February 9, 1922, the House Judiciary Committee held a brief hearing on a long subject: the passage of time, and how America kept track of it. Specifically, the committee met to hear from a handful of witnesses about a bill that would have created the “Liberty Calendar,” a uniform new annual calendar—13 months of 28 days divided evenly into four weeks—that supporters argued would make timekeeping more efficient and help meet the demands of the twentieth century.

“Every Right and Every Privilege”: Oscar De Priest and Segregation in the House Restaurant

2025-09-26T18:12:54

Oscar De Priest entered the 71st Congress as the only African American in the House of Representatives. Throughout his political career, De Priest confronted racial discrimination, including in the Capitol itself as a Member of Congress.

Engraving the Phoenix

2025-09-26T18:11:59

On a sheet the size of a small poster, 22 politicians’ portraits crowd the image, titled “Colored Men Who Have Served in the Congress of the United States.” The worn print recalls the decades following the Civil War, when African Americans came to Congress to represent their fellow Southerners in the national legislature. And more than a memory, it testifies to the persistence of hope during Jim Crow–era political violence and disenfranchisement.

A Member by Any Other Name

2025-09-26T18:01:53

“Old Man Eloquent,” “Sunset Cox,” “Czar Reed,” “Uncle Joe,” “Vinegar Bend,” “Mr. Sam,” the “Little Giant.” Since the earliest Congresses, Members of the House have earned—or received—nicknames based on their careers and interests, monikers that have long outlived them.

Floor of the Floor

2026-01-14T20:37:27

Carpets have played an important role in interior design for both private and public buildings. Over two centuries, flooring decisions in the House have swung back and forth between form (symbolism, aesthetics, and glamour) and function (practicality, cost, and durability).

Edition for Educators — New Year, New Material

2025-09-26T17:55:12

With the second session of the 116th Congress (2019–2021) now underway, we thought it might be a good time to highlight the considerable work the offices of History, Art and Archives have put online in the past year. This Edition for Educators focuses on the wealth of new material made available in 2019.

Written in Stone

2025-09-26T17:56:47

Two Champ Clarks stand side by side. The Speaker on the right is a near-perfect replica of the Speaker on the left—except for his ghostly white pallor and his abrupt ending below the chest.

Best of the Blog in 2019

2025-12-30T20:07:15

2019 was a very busy year for everyone in the Offices of History, Art and Archives. On top of dozens of additions to our website’s resources, the office again published 43 blogs covering all manner of subjects. As we reflect on the past year, we’ve selected eight favorites for our readers to revisit heading into 2020.

Snowball Fight at the Capitol!

2025-12-30T20:06:57

Photographs from the House Collection capture the fun of snowball fights outside the Capitol, a tradition for House and Senate Pages.

“I Told Everything I Know”: Patty Duke’s Secret Testimony to Congress

2025-12-30T20:07:48

“I was involved, deeply involved, in a deception.” With those words to a congressional committee, the house of cards built by the producers and sponsors of popular televised quiz shows tumbled at last.

Congressmobiles

2025-12-30T20:03:46

Congressional mobile offices emerged at the intersection of U.S. politics and love for automobiles.

East from the Capitol

2025-12-30T20:01:03

Photographers hauled their equipment to the top of the Capitol's giant new cast-iron dome and captured the city as it transformed from Civil War chaos to Gilded Age glamour. This 1875 image showed a city that still looked something less than glamorous.

Edition for Educators — House Members With Military Service

2025-12-30T20:04:08

This Edition for Educators focuses on some of the House Members who served in the United States military before turning their careers to serving in Congress.

Time Travel: Daylight Saving Time and the House

2025-12-30T20:03:05

When first-term Representative Leon Sacks of Pennsylvania introduced H.R. 6546 on April 21, 1937, the Earth did not stop spinning. Time did not stand still.

But it almost did.

The Haunting of Capitol Hill's House, Debunked

2025-12-30T20:00:06

“Sometimes you sit here and think you hear the funniest things a’ going on,” the infamous House Doorkeeper William “Fishbait” Miller once told an interviewer, Miller’s broad smile casting doubt on whether he actually believed what he said. “Wonder, if those sounds I keep a‘hearin’ are chicken ghosts?”

Edition for Educators—Statehood

2025-12-30T19:59:41

This month’s Edition for Educators focuses on the often-complex process of attaining statehood through the lens of the House of Representatives.

A Capital Game

2025-12-30T20:00:23

“Here’s your chance to be a Congressman!” an advertisement read. In 1949, Milton Bradley introduced Lobby: A Capital Game, a board game meant to be both educational and fun. However, legislation and lobbying may not have been quite as entertaining as the toymaker expected.

Young Americans

2025-12-30T19:58:09

Between 1800 and 1830, more than 1,200 Americans served in Congress. Four early portraits show the wide variety of lawmakers in the young nation.

Edition for Educators—Football

2025-12-30T19:57:28

It’s September, and football is back. On Capitol Hill that means Representatives make friendly wagers over big games, and recognizable all-stars occasionally find their way into campaign ads. This month’s Edition for Educators features football and the House.

Americans Can’t Can

2025-12-30T19:57:14

Housewives and gardeners hurried from store to store during the summer of 1975 only to find the shelves devoid of one item on their shopping lists: canning lids. Desperate to preserve their fruits and vegetables before they rotted on the vine, the people turned to Congress for help.

“Who Do You Represent?”

2025-12-30T19:59:04

In 1971 the 13 African-American Members of the U.S. House of Representatives founded the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), declaring their intention to reshape policy, legislation, and the nature of representation on Capitol Hill. For the first time, black Members worked together to draft an agenda for African-American communities across the nation.

Mildred Reeves and the Quiet Revolution

2025-12-30T19:55:04

Sometime around 1916 or 1917, the exact date isn’t clear, a woman in her early 20s from Washington, DC, named Mildred Reeves took a job in the office of Congressman Nicholas Longworth, an up-and-coming Republican legislator from Ohio. Within just two years or so, Reeves had gone from a minor role handling the mail to becoming one of Longworth’s chief aides, responsible for running his office—a position equivalent to today’s chief of staff.

West from the Capitol

2025-12-30T19:54:34

This 1868 image shows the view looking west from the Capitol. The vista takes in both the exhausted postwar city and the growing evidence of a proud, international capital.

Legislating the Liquor Law—Prohibition and the House

2025-12-30T19:54:13

Summers in Washington, DC, are always hot, but the dog days of 1919 were particularly heated as Congress held ongoing debates over how best to enforce a ban on the sale and transportation of alcohol in a sweeping new policy known as prohibition.

In the Bag

2025-12-30T19:56:17

“Representative Ruth Bryan Owen has designed a handbag for business women,” the Chicago Daily Tribune reported. In 1931, the Congresswoman’s pocketbook made the news. Her choice of accessory became a subtle statement about gender expectations in Congress.

Welcome to the Hotel Congressional

2025-12-30T19:52:14

How the Hotel Congressional went from a sleek, modern hotel to a dowdy House workspace to a parking lot, and later, the O'Neill House Office Building, is a tale of the changing nature of congressional work.

Hanging on Every Word

2025-12-30T19:50:11

When the House is in session, official reporters record every word.

Edition for Educators—The Final Frontier

2025-12-30T19:42:11

On July 20, 1969, Americans from all walks of life gathered around television sets to witness a truly remarkable event. Broadcast live to half a billion people, Commander Neil Armstrong stepped down from the lunar lander onto the surface of the moon at 10:56 p.m. EDT and uttered his iconic phrase, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” Outer space has long captured the popular imagination, fascinating people of all ages and backgrounds, including Members of Congress.

The Waste Basket Committee

2025-12-30T19:53:52

For his maiden speech in the 69th Congress (1925–1927), Representative Robert Alexis “Lex” Green, as he was known, chose to take on his own party, arguing against an inheritance tax that would affect his aging Florida constituents. House Democratic leaders responded to his impudence by assigning him to the most “prosaic” of committees: the Committee on Disposition of Useless Executive Papers.

Edition for Educators – Take Me Out to the Ballgame

2025-12-30T19:23:58

In 1909, a new Capitol Hill tradition took root at American League Park in Washington, DC.

Dreams Can Come True

2025-12-30T19:22:28

Clerk Donnald K. Anderson’s 35-year career in the U.S. House began somewhat improbably before he was even old enough to vote.

Cloaked in Secrecy

2025-12-30T19:24:13

The House Cloakrooms are simple, comfortable waystations where Members can wait between votes, escape for a snack, or conduct business with other Members.

Congress and the Women’s Suffrage Movement

2025-12-30T19:20:58

Women’s suffrage did not take a year, or 10 years, or even 50 years to accomplish. These documents show one aspect of the movement: the institutional perspective of Congress and how citizens and advocacy groups interacted with Congress regarding the right of suffrage for women, as well as the amendment’s passage by Congress.

“Why Not Have it Constitutionally?”: Race, Gender, and the Nineteenth Amendment

2025-12-30T19:19:43

On May 21, 1919, Representative James Mann of Illinois, the bespectacled, gray-bearded, 62-year-old former Republican Leader, made an announcement from the House Floor, cementing a change in American history that had been building for decades. “I call up House joint resolution No. 1, proposing an amendment to the Constitution extending the right of suffrage to women,” he said, “and ask that the resolution be reported.”

Edition for Educators—Celebrating Asian Pacific American Heritage Month 2019

2025-12-30T19:19:25

May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. In celebration, this Edition for Educators highlights some of the many stories published in Asian and Pacific Islander Americans in Congress, 1900–2017, one of the Office of the Historian’s most recent publications (and online exhibits) which provides an overview of the diverse stories of APA Members and their constituents in the years since Hawaiian Delegate Robert Wilcox first won election to the U.S. House of Representatives. The story of Asian Pacific Americans in Congress can also be found across our website in other stories, artifacts, and House records.

Railroaded to Congress

2025-12-30T19:22:07

Grenville Dodge loathed being on Capitol Hill. He much preferred exploring the western wilderness, scoping out the path of the transcontinental railroad. No oath of office could keep him from it.

Front and Center

2026-03-09T14:02:08

The Speaker’s rostrum announces its importance visually. Framed by walls of multicolored marble, columns, symbolic relief sculptures, and a large American flag, it is located front-and-center in the House Chamber.

Edition for Educators—The Capitol Campus

2025-12-30T19:14:55

Today, the federal legislative branch spreads over five House office buildings, three Senate office buildings, three Library of Congress buildings, and the Capitol itself. This Edition for Educators highlights the Capitol campus and the District of Columbia.

The Apportionment Act of 1842: “In All Cases, By District”

2025-12-30T19:14:19

In April 1842, the United States House of Representatives began what could arguably be called the first reorganization process—the first spring cleaning, as it were—in Congress’ history. The size of the House had increased steadily since 1789, and as required by the Constitution it had adjusted its Membership every 10 years following the Census in a process called reapportionment. In a decision that shaped the makeup of the House for decades, Congress broke with 50 years of precedent to make two dramatic and substantial changes: it shrunk the size of the House for the first time in U.S. history, and standardized what we would recognize as the modern congressional district.

If These Walls Could Talk

2025-12-30T19:15:53

A major renovation of the Cannon House Office Building began in late 2014, uncovering some surprises. Artifacts pulled from the trenches and walls of the building during the restoration tell the story of the structure and its workers.

Edition for Educators—Celebrating Women’s History Month 2019

2025-12-30T19:11:45

To celebrate Women’s History Month, this Edition for Educators blog focuses on content we’ve added to the History, Art & Archives website within the last year alongside new images the office has acquired. This year, we’ve compiled a few of the new oral histories, blogs, digitized images, and updated statistics for the 116th Congress (2019–2021) to feature below. In preparation for next year’s anniversary, the office has also added a new House Record to commemorate the 19th Amendment granting women’s suffrage.

Do Me a Favor

2025-12-30T19:12:08

In 1994, an Appropriations Committee staffer discovered an old wooden trunk tucked away in the attic of the Cannon House Office Building. The trunk, it turned out, contained letters older than the building itself and belonged to none other than the powerful Speaker of the House, Joe Cannon.

Obstacles and Opportunities: The Experiences of Two Women Members on the Campaign Trail

2025-12-30T19:12:31

Since the 1970s, women candidates running for Congress have increasingly carved out more opportunities and built new coalitions. The Office of the Historian conducted interviews with several former women Members who traveled distinct routes to Capitol Hill. Two seemingly disparate stories from the early 1990s highlight how far women candidates have come since Rankin first won election more than 100 years ago.

House Pages Shoulder the Weight of History: The Story Behind an Iconic Image

2025-12-30T19:09:06

Sixty-five years ago, four members of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party opened fire on the House Chamber from the visitors’ gallery, wounding five Members, and causing mayhem across the Capitol. In the midst of the terror, others on the floor responded by assisting those wounded in the attack. Photographs snapped in the aftermath captured these efforts, including an iconic image of three young House Pages carrying a wounded Member down the steps of the Capitol. Perhaps more than any other image, that photo came to embody both the violence and the solemnity of the day.

The Last Hours of John Quincy Adams

2025-12-30T19:07:01

Representative John Quincy Adams knew he was nearing the end of his career. However, he likely did not suspect that his last hours in the Capitol would become a national media event, driven by brand-new technologies and nostalgia for the past that Adams represented.

Edition for Educators—Celebrating Black History Month 2019

2025-12-30T19:04:56

In celebration of Black History Month, this Edition for Educators blog focuses on content we’ve recently added to the History, Art & Archives website. For this February, we’ve compiled a few of the new oral histories, blogs, digitized images, and updated statistics from the last year to feature below.

A Great Disaster

2025-12-30T19:08:32

In October 1951, every Member of the House of Representatives and the Senate received an unusual petition in the mail from an artist named Thomas Hart Benton.

Edition for Educators—The House Chamber

2024-01-19T18:23:34

Since 1789, the House of Representatives has met in a number of locations. But regardless of the setting, the House Chamber has always been a storied space. Since the House first met in closing years of the eighteenth century, thousands of men and women from all corners of the country have filled its seats to debate legislation and shape the rhythms of American life. Today, the modern House Chamber, which first opened in 1857, can often seem to be two things at once: intimidating but also welcoming, imposing but also familiar. This Edition for Educators highlights the spaces which have served as the meeting place for the People’s House.

Experience, Wisdom, Knowledge . . . Before Twenty-Five

2025-12-30T19:01:10

In July 1797, a young southern judge named William Charles Cole Claiborne penned an enthusiastic letter to one of his political mentors, then-Representative Andrew Jackson of Tennessee. Claiborne had his eyes set on serving in Congress. With only two months until the general election in October, and with Jackson leaving for the Senate, Claiborne was eager to win election to Jackson’s soon-to-be vacant seat in the House of Representatives. There was, however, one potentially very large problem: Claiborne was not more than 22 years old.

Lady Luck and the Office Lottery

2025-12-30T19:00:55

New Members-elect crowd into a committee room in the Rayburn House Office Building, plunging into the centuries-old struggle over real estate known as the office lottery.

Guts, Stamina, Audacity: Shirley Chisholm’s House Career

2025-12-30T19:03:39

Fifty years ago this month, Shirley Chisholm, the charismatic and outspoken Brooklyn educator and politician, made history when she became the first African-American woman to serve in Congress. Small in stature, but with a larger-than-life persona, “Fighting Shirley” was a tireless advocate for her constituents, quotable and stylish and unyielding. Chisholm encapsulated the resolve of the civil rights movement of the 1960s and brought national attention to the issues she championed.

Best of the Blog in 2018

2025-09-25T19:00:17

The year 2018 wasn’t just about a midterm election for the Offices of History, Art & Archives. We introduced a lot of content throughout the year, including 43 blogs! Here’s a few of our favorites from the past year.

Sick Days

2025-09-25T18:57:43

Shortly after noon on Friday, October 11, 1918, Martin D. Foster of Illinois anxiously asked for permission to speak on the floor. The six-term Congressman, who’d been a small-town doctor in down-state Illinois, was still digesting the latest grim reports about the rapid spread of the lethal Spanish influenza outbreak. What Foster had read alarmed him.

Edition for Educators—Following the Rules

2025-09-25T19:17:29

The U.S. House of Representatives is governed by an ever-expanding matrix of rules and precedents, procedural compass points that have been accumulating every year since the very first Congress in 1789. The Constitution says little about the internal governing structure of the House other than that it “may determine the Rules of its Proceedings.” That vague allowance enables the House to create and maintain both its legislative processes and rules guiding the personal behavior of its Members.

Congressional Eagles

2025-09-25T19:16:53

In the early 1920s, one Member of Congress flipped and looped over the Capitol in a biplane. But after famous pilot Charles Lindbergh took Representatives up for a ride in 1928, aviation soared in the Washington imagination.

Veteran-Artists in the House Collection—Part II

2025-09-25T19:18:14

For our second blog post highlighting military veteran-artists in the House Collection of Art and Artifacts, we look back to the 19th century, at the careers of two Civil War soldiers.

“Planting Laws and Institutions”: The Election of Representative John Quincy Adams

2025-09-25T19:18:00

On November 6, 1830, former United States President John Quincy Adams spent the day at his family’s farm near Quincy, Massachusetts, planting trees. On the edge of what would become the orchard, he laid out five rows of chestnuts, oaks, and shagbark hickories. The final, casual line in Adams’s diary that day: “I am a member elect of the twenty-second Congress.”

Post It

2025-09-25T19:19:18

The modern congressional campaign poster is a familiar sight, but it is nothing like the ones plastered all over town a century ago.

House-Brewed Home Brew

2025-09-25T19:18:31

Representative John Philip Hill tried very hard to get arrested by the Commissioner of Prohibition.

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month

2018-11-21T18:26:56

In the summer of 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed into law an act that expanded Hispanic Heritage Week, first created by Congress in 1968, into Hispanic Heritage Month. Sponsored by California Representative Esteban Torres and Illinois Senator Paul Simon, the new law created an annual month-long celebration of Hispanic-American culture and history.

Slam Dunk: Doughnuts and the House

2018-11-21T18:55:09

Doughnuts have long been a favorite Washington breakfast. Crullers cooked up debate both on and off the House Floor.

Reporting Live from the House Chamber

2025-09-25T19:25:18

Reporters have covered the House from its earliest days, providing a vital link between the people and their Representatives.

Edition for Educators—Presidency and the House

2018-11-26T21:34:24

This Edition for Educators highlights the Presidency and its complicated relationship with the House of Representatives.

We’ve Re-launched Our Blog

2025-09-25T19:38:32

When we launched our blog in late 2012, a new world of storytelling opened. For the last six years, the historians, curators, and archivists at the U.S. House of Representatives have discovered and documented an eclectic mix of people, events, records, and artifacts that have helped reveal how the House has evolved over the last 229 years. This summer, after having published nearly 300 entries to our blog since 2012, we’ve given it an overhaul.

The Cowboy of Congress

2025-09-25T19:34:55

The Congressman stuck both index fingers down into his cowboy boot and yanked it up under his pant leg, getting ready for another day at the office.

"The Battle of the Portraits"

2025-09-25T19:55:08

Newspapers called it “the battle of the portraits.” As many as 16 artists entered the fray of the late Speaker Henry Rainey’s official portrait commission, a tradition in the House of Representatives.

Edition for Educators—Congressional Zoo

2025-09-25T19:54:11

The House of Representatives is no stranger to mankind’s four-legged friends in the animal kingdom. Whether considering legislation that affects the wildlife of the nation or simply posing alongside a beloved pet, there is often a zoological presence on the Hill. This Edition for Educators focuses on all things animal in Congress.

An Ode to Poetry at the Capitol

2025-09-25T19:56:20

During a Joint Meeting honoring the bicentennial of Congress in 1989, Minority Leader Robert Michel suggested that what Congress needed during the celebration was “not more congressional prose, but the fiery, living truth of great poetry.”

Jeannette Rankin for Senate

2025-09-25T20:01:45

Representative Jeannette Rankin of Montana earned a permanent place in U.S. history by becoming the first woman elected to Congress. She served two non-consecutive terms and became the only person to vote against America’s entry into both World War I in 1917 and World War II in 1941. Her political career ended with her lone vote against war on December 8, 1941, as the U.S. Pacific Fleet burned at Pearl Harbor.

Becoming the Board of Education

2025-09-25T20:01:00

Board of Education. Doghouse. Cabinet Room. Sanctum sanctorum. Or, as Speaker Sam Rayburn modestly called his tiny hideaway where informal legislating happened, “the little room.”

“As the Game Goes So Goes the Election” . . . or Not

2025-09-25T19:57:45

“As the game goes so goes the election,” predicted the cover of the 1932 Congressional Baseball Game program.

Edition for Educators—Districts

2025-09-25T20:02:32

Massachusetts Speaker Tip O’Neill once said, “All politics is local.” With elections held every two years, the House of Representatives is designed to be immediately answerable to its constituents. Members typically seek to gain committee assignments that align with their districts’ interests and frequently return home to connect with voters. This Edition for Educators focuses on congressional districts and how their unique needs influence the Members who represent them.

Photo Mystery Update

2025-09-25T20:18:50

This month, we asked for your help solving a photo mystery.

Luaus to Lusitania

2025-09-25T20:17:56

On the near-cloudless Monday morning of May 3, 1915, the steamer Sierra floated on an untroubled sea off the coast of Honolulu, the lush capital of the Territory of Hawaii. On deck, 125 people outfitted in white linen suits and dresses—among them 48 Members of Congress—polished off breakfast and prepared to disembark for what most hoped would be a tropical vacation. From the harbor, five launches sailed out to meet them, carrying a welcoming committee comprised of the Royal Hawaiian band, lei greeters, the mayor of Honolulu, the leadership of the territorial legislature, and Hawaiian Delegate Jonah “Prince Kuhio” Kalanianaʻole.

Asian and Pacific Islander Americans in Congress, 1900–2017

2025-09-25T20:16:22

In celebration of Asian Pacific Heritage Month, and in collaboration with the Office of the Clerk and the Committee on House Administration, the Office of the House Historian is pleased to present Asian and Pacific Islander Americans in Congress, 1900–2017.

Arcaded Street

2025-09-25T20:15:36

You could buy a coffin, a deer skin, or a slice of pie as you strolled the Capitol 150 years ago. “It is a grand, vaulted, arcaded street,” one visitor enthused, “and during the session filled with a jostling, hurrying throng.”

House Select Committee Investigates Japanese Evacuation and Relocation

2025-09-25T20:20:16

On December 7, 1941, the Japanese military attacked the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, pulling America into World War II. On February 13, 1942, referencing the presence of Japanese Americans and immigrants living on the West Coast, the congressional delegation from those states called for a policy that became one of the darkest chapters in American history: the forced imprisonment and internment of 120,000 Japanese Americans.

Photo Mystery

2025-09-25T20:16:55

We have a photo mystery, and we’re asking for your help.

Edition for Educators—Committees

2025-09-25T19:29:22

Since the 1st Congress (1789–1791) the House has organized into committees in order to more thoroughly consider pending legislation and to allow Members to specialize in certain legislative areas.

A Committee of One

2025-09-25T19:27:52

For his entire adult life, Walter F. Brown dutifully climbed the career ladder in Toledo, Ohio, building a law firm, running businesses, and branching out into Republican politics at the state and local level. In 1920, he even ran for a seat in the U.S. Senate, only to lose in the GOP primary. It was a comfortable, fully successful life, but unremarkable in the sense that an untold number of men like Walter F. Brown lived in an untold number of American towns like Toledo.

The Famous Umbrella of Ernest Ackerman

2025-09-25T19:32:23

Ernest Ackerman stood outside on a staircase. A black umbrella, clasped in his right hand and leaning against his shoulder, unfurled behind him. But, as you might notice, it wasn’t raining.

A Message Too Far: The House Reprimands President Roosevelt

2025-09-25T19:31:05

Laughter flooded the House Chamber, rising from both sides of the floor and cascading down from the crowded galleries. Atop the marble rostrum Speaker Joseph G. Cannon of Illinois, looking to regain order, banged his gavel so hard that he cracked the top of his desk. The cause of this ruckus stood frozen at the chamber’s entrance looking bewildered and embarrassed—a House Doorkeeper and a White House clerk who had just interrupted debate with an announcement from President Theodore Roosevelt.

Land of Misfortune: Sarah Winnemucca Petitions Congress

2025-09-25T20:11:25

In 1884, Native American activist, author, and educator Sarah Winnemucca sent a petition to Congress for the Paiute Indians to be restored to the Malheur Reservation in southern Oregon. Unlike many appeals addressed to Congress in the late 1800s, and particularly unlike those written by women, the tone of Winnemucca’s petition is one of righteous demand rather than supplication.

No Woman Is an Island

2025-09-25T20:10:24

The photograph on the East Front of the Capitol on March 20, 1918, straddled the seasons, winter in Washington yielding to a fresh spring.

Who’s Who In the 65th

2025-09-25T20:09:40

In 2007, while conducting image research at the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, our office ran across a record vaguely labeled “65th Congress.” This blog discusses how researchers, with very few clues about the image’s original provenance, answered two big questions: when during the 65th Congress (1917–1919) was the image taken, and could the Members in the photograph be identified?

Campaign Ink Blotters

2025-09-25T20:05:43

Before the age of the ballpoint pen, Americans wrote their documents with fountain pens dipped in ink. Blotters soaked up the excess ink, and were a popular campaign object for decades, from their invention in the late 19th century until ballpoint pens hit the market after World War II, shoving fountain pens off the desktop by 1960.

Unbought and Unbossed

2025-09-25T20:12:46

Trailblazer, committee member, presidential candidate. Photographs from the House Collection show the path of Shirley Chisholm, the first African-American woman in Congress.

Suffragette City

2025-09-25T19:44:50

The notorious Victoria Woodhull, spiritualist, stockbroker, and presidential candidate, testified on women’s suffrage before a House committee in January 1871. When her image appeared in Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper, she became the subject of the first known image of a House committee hearing.

The Search for Common Ground

2025-09-25T19:43:30

In the span of five months during the winter and spring of 1962 two major entrenched powers faced off in an obstinate battle of wills. This wasn’t a traditional war, but more of a smoldering, protracted conflict between long-time rivals with competing interests. Territory was contested. Stakes escalated. Worldviews were challenged. Catastrophe beckoned. And all the while, the ability of the federal government to function hung in the balance.

Integrating Dick and Jane

2025-09-25T19:42:12

Fun with Our Friends, a Dick and Jane reader, played a role in a congressional hearing about bias, race, and education.

“I Ask Nothing Because I am a Negro”: A Letter to the Committee on Military Affairs

2025-09-25T19:46:35

By age 26, Henry Ossian Flipper’s place in history was already assured. In 1877, he was the first African American to graduate from the United States Military Academy at West Point, where his race was a fact his fellow students never let him forget. He was the first African-American commissioned officer in the U.S. Army.

The State of the Union: Showtime

2025-09-25T19:50:49

The Office of the Historian shares some past State of the Union Addresses and previews our coverage for Tuesday night.

Wooden Sword, Spitting Lyon

2025-09-25T19:49:40

For several weeks in early 1798 legislative business in the U.S. House of Representatives slowed to a crawl as the relatively young chamber grappled with a quandary both uncharted and unpleasant: whether and how to discipline its Members for unacceptable behavior.

Jeannette Rankin and the Women's Suffrage Amendment

2025-09-25T19:48:52

It was no accident—nor mere symbolism—that on January 10, 1918, a woman led the effort on the floor of the U.S. House to pass the landmark resolution for a constitutional amendment granting women the right to vote. The first such proposal had been introduced in Congress almost 50 years earlier, but it was Jeannette Rankin, the first woman to serve on Capitol Hill, who steadily built support in the House for women's voting rights throughout the 65th Congress (1917–1919).

Old D.C. from Above

2026-03-02T16:20:13

Taken from hot-air balloons, airplanes, kites, blimps, and tall buildings, early aerial views brought a futuristic new perspective of Washington, D.C., to the public.

Best of the Blog in 2017

2025-12-30T18:52:56

The Offices of House History and Art and Archives have been busy this year working on new projects, including 54 blogs this year! We look back on a few of our favorites from 2017.

The Mediator

2025-12-30T18:50:34

Pennsylvania Representative Matthew A. Dunn stood in front of the strikers, wearing dark sunglasses inside the Pittsburgh plant. The Pennsylvania Association for the Blind workers’ strike had already slid into its second week in the late winter of 1937 when a whistle rang out, calling the room to order. Quieting the radio, the strikers turned toward the sound of Dunn’s voice. “I am with you on your strike,” the Representative said, “except I don’t think you are asking enough.”

A Proper Symbol of Office

2025-12-30T18:54:06

Wherever and whenever the U.S. House of Representatives meets, this historic artifact is there.

Edition for Educators—Trivia

2025-12-30T18:44:59

This month’s edition for educators focuses on finding factoids about the history of the U.S. House of Representatives, using the History, Art & Archives website. The most basic information can sometimes be the hardest to find. Two hundred twenty-eight years of history and precedent produces plenty of unique and obscure trivia, and this blog presents a search for some of that trivia across our online resources.

Home at the House

2025-12-30T18:43:54

For more than two centuries, Pages assisted Representatives with errands, relaying messages, and other tasks. Early on, Members appointed Pages from the Washington area, but by the 20th century, most were selected from congressional districts around the country. When teenaged Pages came to Washington, they often made their temporary home in a residence like Olive Smith’s house.

Edition for Educators—House Leadership

2025-12-30T18:38:33

This Edition for Educators highlights House Leadership. The U.S. Constitution offers spare guidance as to how House leadership should be organized, noting only that the Membership “shall chuse their Speaker and other Officers.” By the early 20th century, each of the major parties gradually created entire organizations to advance their legislative agendas in the House.

Veteran-Artists in the House Collection

2025-12-30T18:46:11

Two artists’ paths were different, but their careers converged in unlikely places—World War II combat and House committee hearing rooms. William Draper and Brummett Echohawk both served in the military during the war, and later completed chairman portraits for the House of Representatives. In honor of Veterans Day, we present their stories.

Mourning in the Chamber

2025-12-30T18:31:42

The House Chamber is known as a space for discourse and debate, but it also has a more somber history. From 1820 to 1940, the Chamber served as the setting for the funerals of some sitting Members. Learn more about this tradition through four photographs from the House Collection.

Bridging the Divide

2025-12-30T18:30:15

During the second half of the 20th century, the world watched as the United States and the Soviet Union clashed in a Cold War struggle that had many fronts: military, economic, cultural, and ideological. But by the mid-1980s, that chilly relationship began to thaw as leaders in both countries engaged in renewed dialogue. Recognizing an opportune moment, Congresswoman Claudine Schneider of Rhode Island and a few of her House colleagues hoped to bridge the divide between the two nations by using new technology to open communication between Moscow and Washington.

Jeannette Rankin’s Fight to Make Mines Safe for Democracy

2025-12-30T18:29:05

On August 18, 1917, 15,000 people packed into a baseball park in the mining town of Butte, Montana, to listen as Representative Jeannette Rankin assailed the Anaconda Copper Mining Company for its role in an ongoing labor dispute. Two months earlier, on June 8, an inferno had engulfed the nearby Speculator Mine, killing 168 miners. In the aftermath, the surviving miners went on strike, and Rankin traveled to her home state to offer her full-throated support for the walk out. The Washington Times reported, “Miss Jeannette Rankin is a friend of the striking miners.”

Trading on the Capitol

2025-12-30T18:23:57

The first trademark granted in the United States used an American eagle, and into the 21st century, marketing textbooks recommended using the Capitol to give products “borrowed interest” from patriotic consumers. Ambitious soap makers in the late 1800s used the iconic U.S. Capitol to give their wares a patriotic shine.

Early Hispanic Americans in House Records

2025-12-30T18:36:18

As the United States expanded westward over the course of the 19th century, many new people became part of the country. The role of these new residents increased, although not without challenges. House records document these early events and the journey of Hispanic Americans in what became the Southwest United States, and in Congress.

Edition for Educators—Congressional Staff

2025-12-30T18:16:32

This month’s Edition for Educators features the staffs who work for the Members of Congress. Since the late 19th century, Congressional staffs help the House conduct the nation’s business in Members’ offices, on committees, or through House Officers such as the Clerk of the House or Sergeant-at-Arms. Learn more about some of the individuals that one scholar called the House’s “unelected representatives.”

John Marshall, One of a Kind?

2025-12-30T18:11:58

Chief Justice John Marshall, the man who single-handedly shaped the constitutional role of the judicial branch of the U.S. government, was one of a kind. But his portrait in the U.S. Capitol? Not so much. The imposing painting, more than 10 feet tall, is based on an earlier Marshall portrait. It’s a painted copy. A copy of a copy of a copy, in fact.

Unique Circumstances: A Look at the House Journal on September 11, 2001

2025-12-30T18:12:57

Eve Butler-Gee pulled up to the United States Capitol under a cobalt-blue sky early on the morning of September 11, 2001. It was well before the workday began, but she hoped to complete a stack of paperwork before the legislative session started at 9 a.m. As a House journal clerk, she had to proofread the prior day’s House Journal and then report to the floor to record a new day’s proceedings.

Ups and Downs in the Capitol

2025-12-30T18:19:19

“The best ride in town may be on the Capitol Hill elevators,” the Washington Post reported in 1971. The story of elevators on the House side of the Capitol—involving money, death, and machinery—is a tale about the ups and downs of power.

Sit and Stay for a Portrait

2025-12-30T17:08:58

A Capitol dome, an American flag, and a “part bichon frise and part some other things?” Such symbols of leadership and personality occupy prominent positions in House committee chairman portraits.

Edition for Educators—Thomas Brackett Reed

2025-12-30T17:52:38

This Edition for Educators highlights the always quotable Thomas Brackett Reed of Maine.

It’s All Fun and Games Until

2025-12-30T17:51:14

Members of Congress excel in drafting legislation, helping constituents, and campaigning. But sometimes, Representatives are no match for kids.

Speaking Up

2025-12-30T18:02:20

This wasn’t how Jeannette Rankin envisioned her first speech in the House. Surely, Rankin—who had spent her entire adult life fighting for equal rights before becoming the first woman elected to Congress—would use her inaugural address to champion the issue of women’s suffrage when the moment arose. But recent events in her Montana district forced her to speak up sooner than she had planned.

“A Voice as Resounding as a Trumpet”

2025-12-30T17:55:27

Inside the House Chamber, along its southern wall, an American flag hangs above a modest three-tiered structure that is arguably one of the most recognizable pieces of furniture in the federal government—the House rostrum, the institution’s central nervous system. The rostrum’s middle row is reserved for three clerks, in particular: the House Journal clerk, the tally clerk who records votes, and the reading clerk who, as the job suggests, reads legislation and once called the roll of Members before the House switched to an electronic voting system in 1973. With such a prominent and vocal responsibility, reading clerks are often in the public eye. Most have remained anonymous, but in the first half of the 20th century the colorful personality and vocal endurance of Patrick James Haltigan made him a star.

Edition for Educators—House History Through Official House Records

2025-12-30T16:21:13

One document can trace the will of the people, the history of the country, and the work of the House of Representatives. House Records—defined as the official, permanent records of the House Committees and Officers—reflect how citizens and their government address and advocate for issues. Recently we launched a way to explore a selection of these records in the Record Search database.

Rolling Billboards

2025-12-30T16:15:16

It started simply enough, a hundred years ago. Americans bought cars. Americans loved cars. And Americans loved politics. So, it seemed almost inevitable that automobiles became rolling billboards for their owners’ favorite candidates. Representatives cheerfully provided different auto accessories, which became a favorite method for taking the campaign on the road.

Absorbing Constituent Needs

2025-12-30T16:15:55

A Member of Congress represents and assists constituents. So when a Representative served a district known for one of the largest natural sponge markets in the world . . . well, that Member advocated for the absorbent product.

Representing the President

2018-08-22T16:32:06

In the spring of 1921, Republican Walter Folger Brown of Ohio, the chairman of Congress’s Joint Committee on the Reorganization of the Administrative Branch of the Government, began overhauling the size and shape of the federal bureaucracy. On paper, he seemed like a natural choice to lead Congress’s efforts to overhaul the government: a discreet business leader with progressive credentials from the key state of Ohio. A natural choice, that is, except for one detail: Brown was not a Member of Congress.

Edition for Educators—Summer Reading 2017

2025-12-30T16:13:00

It’s officially summertime and class is out! With summer comes vacation time and beach reading, and we have a few suggestions for where to get started. Learn more about some House History “summer reading” options.

The House Gets a Used Ford

2025-12-30T16:08:35

On any given June day, summertime tourists visit their Representatives in the three House Office Buildings near the Capitol. But off the beaten path, at the foot of Capitol Hill, another House Office Building stands in relative obscurity. This is the story of the Ford House Office Building, an old structure that got a new lease on life, becoming the House’s own used Ford.

Hawaii Four-9

2018-08-22T16:17:32

Samuel Wilder King stands tall, looking directly into the camera. The Hawaiian Delegate’s eyes twinkle with pride. His open hand gestures to one star on the U.S. flag behind him—the 49th star. This unofficial flag, made by Hawaiian women in 1935, showed the territory’s aspiration to become a state, including it as a star. In the 20th century, flags became symbols of Hawaii’s status in the offices of its Territorial Delegates.

“Congress Took No Further Action”: Women and the Right to Petition

2025-12-30T16:07:38

In 1838, women in Brookline, Massachusetts, reacted with “astonishment and alarm” at the recently adopted gag rule, which tabled all antislavery petitions. They signed their names to a brief but searing petition to the U.S. House of Representatives. Read about this and other petitions sent by women to Congress requesting assistance with issues of both national and personal importance.

Edition for Educators—Picnic Edition

2025-12-30T16:04:59

In the great tradition of summer picnics and cookouts, this edition for educators provides inspiration for your next al fresco outing complete with a touch of the House for your celebration.

“Go All The Way”

2025-12-30T16:04:00

In January 1977, the U.S. House of Representatives began a long-term plan to win back the confidence of the American people.

Jeannette Rankin’s Struggle for Democracy in Industry

2025-12-30T16:02:33

On July 8, 1917, Representative Jeannette Rankin of Montana, the first woman elected to Congress, addressed a crowd of more than 3,000 at Braves Field in Boston, Massachusetts, just a stone’s throw from the Charles River. On stage, Rankin resembled “a college girl, of medium height, slight of build, with large dark eyes and an expressive face,” the Boston Globe reported, adding that the “woman Congressman” has a “sort of girlish laughing appeal in her voice.” But the newspaper was quick to make clear that “there is the weight of thought and logic in her words,” and proceeded to provide a window into the priorities occupying the Congresswoman in the summer of 1917.

Congressional Bicycles

2025-12-30T16:06:04

“The latest fad among our national statesmen is the Congressmen’s Bicycle Club,” reported the San Francisco Chronicle in 1892. Ever since, Representatives have gone from teetering atop high-wheeled penny-farthings to racing on road bikes. Members of Congress have spun gleefully around the capital, mixing both politics and fun into the ride.

"The Most Gallant Lady from Massachusetts"

2025-12-30T15:58:09

Edith Nourse Rogers’s Committee on Veterans’ Affairs chairman portrait was unveiled on July 27, 1950. Rogers was exceptional in many ways, she was only the second woman—after her colleague Mary Norton of New Jersey—to have a chairman portrait hung in the House.

Everyone Loves a Good Story!

2025-12-30T15:43:06

People tell stories for many reasons: to entertain, to make connections, to explain a point of view. Oral histories rely on stories of all kinds to complement other sources about past events and historic figures. Individual oral histories featuring descriptive anecdotes and personal reflections can stand on their own, but when several oral histories are woven together around a common theme or event, they work to tell a more complex and complete account.

#10in10: 100 Years of Women in the House Collection

2025-12-30T15:40:58

For 10 days beginning on April 2, our Twitter feed exhibited women represented in the House Collection. @USHouseHistory used #10in10 to highlight 10 decades’ worth of objects from the House Collection. Keep reading to find out which era was the most popular on Twitter.

A Womanly Woman with Womanly Ambitions

2025-12-23T16:25:38

On June 1, 1917, Jeannette Rankin penned a letter to her Montana constituents articulating her frustration with some recent media coverage. “No doubt you have read in the papers about my ‘red hair’ and ‘sending the fathers to war’ and other inventions of the eastern press. I wish you were here to see Congress working and to know the true facts,” she wrote. After all, she didn’t have red hair and she voted against American intervention in World War I.

Women Take the Spotlight

2025-12-23T16:15:45

On January 6, 1941, Jeannette Rankin attended a Joint Session of Congress just days after being sworn in to a second term in the House. For Rankin, who’d first entered Congress 24 years earlier at the opening of the 65th Congress in 1917, the scene must have been familiar—war clouds gathering on the horizon, a dramatic presidential address, and a whirl of press attention, much of it paid to her return and, remarkably, still focused on her gender.

Edition for Educators—House Civics 101

2025-12-30T15:47:31

In America’s complicated, multidimensional system of government, the United States House of Representatives holds a unique set of powers. For clarity on its responsibilities we need to look no further than the Constitution.

Jeannette Rankin: “I Cannot Vote for War”

2025-12-30T15:50:10

Jeannette Rankin, the first woman to serve in Congress, voted against United States entry into World War I in 1917 and did not run for reelection to the House of Representatives in 1918. Ever since, historians have assumed that Rankin’s no vote cost the Congresswoman her seat in Congress.

The First Congresswoman’s First Day: April 2, 1917

2025-12-30T15:44:53

It was only natural that Jeannette Rankin of Montana repeatedly made history on April 2, 1917, the day she was sworn in as the first woman to serve in Congress.

Masquerading as Miss Rankin

2025-12-23T16:11:06

When Speaker Champ Clark of Missouri adjourned the 64th Congress sine die at noon on March 4, 1917, the House dissolved into customary revelry. Members and visitors joined in throaty renditions of “Dixie” and “The Old Oaken Bucket,” belting out lyrics until the chorus grew hoarse. When the crowd lurched into “How Dry I Am,” the “Wets” in the chamber, those Members who wanted to keep alcohol legal and who were on the verge of failing to block Prohibition, sang with particular gusto.

A Century of Women in Congress

2025-12-23T15:58:39

On November 7, 1916, Jeannette Rankin of Montana became the first woman elected to the United States Congress. “I may be the first woman member of Congress,” she observed upon her election. “But I won’t be the last.”

Congresswoman Huck Goes to Prison

2025-12-23T16:01:24

“I was locked in the Cleveland police station,” wrote Winnifred Huck. “My eyes were getting used to the darkness, and I thought that soon I could see as well as the rats whose green eyes shown from the corners of the room.” In 1925, the former Illinois Congresswoman decided to satisfy her curiosity about prisons, rehabilitation, and working-class life across the United States—by becoming an inmate.

Members Only

2019-05-14T21:16:42

On the afternoon of February 6, 1967, Representatives Catherine May, Patsy Mink, and Charlotte Reid derailed Herb Botts’ day. Botts managed the men’s gym in the basement of the Rayburn House Office Building, but he never expected the three Congresswomen to show up for his 4:45 p.m. calisthenics class. Hawaii Representative Patsy Mink pointed to her stuffed handbag and politely announced, “We’ve come to join the class.” Flustered, Botts exclaimed, “It’s just for Members of Congress.”

The “Mayor of Washington” and the Unexpected Portrait

2020-01-24T20:00:22

The story of Representative Mary Norton’s portrait commemorating her stint as “Mayor of Washington” reflects Norton’s guiding ethos throughout her career. Commissioned by a group of notables from the District, and painted by local artist Elaine Hartley, the Norton portrait was executed in a spirit of community in appreciation, and in support of a fellow professional woman.

Women on a Warship

2025-12-23T15:32:41

In early 1949 Connecticut Representative Chase Going Woodhouse received a curious invitation at her Washington office. The Secretary of Defense had invited Members of Congress to spend the night on the aircraft carrier USS Midway to observe the navy’s training exercises as the legislators considered the future of military aviation. The problem was that Woodhouse was one of 10 women serving in the 81st Congress (1949–1951) and navy regulations prohibited women from spending the night on a warship.

Edition for Educators—Civil Rights Legislation

2025-12-23T15:25:36

This edition for educators focuses on important legislation featured in the minorities in Congress series (Women in Congress, Black Americans in Congress, and Hispanic Americans in Congress).

Knock-Out McCarthy: A Political Love Story

2025-12-23T15:24:45

Kansas voters elected their first Congresswoman, Miss Kathryn O’Loughlin, in 1932. But in 1933, Mrs. O’Loughlin McCarthy took office. Romance started on the campaign trail and followed her all the way to Washington.

Jet and Ebony and Yvonne Burke

2021-11-04T20:11:23

Yvonne Brathwaite Burke was a rising star in national politics when she arrived in the House in 1973. Mainstream media, however, rarely covered any African-American or female legislator in depth. One exception was the Black media empire founded by Jack Johnson, with the influential Ebony and Jet magazines at its center.

The Original “Year of the Woman”

2025-12-23T15:04:57

The woman suffrage campaign appeared to begin 1916 in rough shape. Beyond internal drama among suffragists, however, widely scattered action was taking place at the grassroots. Over the course of 1916 numerous women candidates were seeking election to Congress, and several had entered major-party primaries that now dominated candidate selection throughout the country. Jeannette Rankin was far from alone.

Henry Clay’s On-Again, Off-Again Relationship with the House

2025-12-23T15:02:18

Henry Clay of Kentucky had one of the most superlative political careers in American history. A lawyer by training, Clay served in almost every level of government possible in the 19th century: the Kentucky state house of representatives, the United States Senate, the United States House of Representatives, and the executive branch as Secretary of State. On top of that, he helped negotiate the Treaty of Ghent ending the War of 1812, and ran for President three times over three decades on three different party tickets.

Edition for Educators—Inauguration and Congress

2018-08-22T14:03:04

Since at least 1901, a Joint Congressional Committee on Inauguration has formed every four years to arrange the inauguration of the next President of the United States. With many Members of Congress both in attendance and charged with preparing for the event, the U.S. House of Representatives has a long shared history with this momentous quadrennial event.

Advice to New Members

2019-01-04T14:56:53

On March 6, 1941, Alabama Representative Luther Patrick gave advice to new Members from the House Floor. His 32-point list detailed the dos and don’ts of congressional behavior. If only he took his own advice.

Inside the Chamber on Opening Day

2025-12-23T14:41:29

Every two years, as mandated in Article I, Section 2, of the Constitution, the U.S. House of Representatives starts a new legislative session, known as a Congress. Using longstanding precedent and a few highly visible artifacts, the House embarks on the pomp and ritual of its biennial Opening Day.

Best of the Blog in 2016

2025-12-22T22:01:10

The Offices of House History and Art and Archives have been busy this year working on new projects, including a whopping 53 blogs this year! As we get ready to start a new year, here are just a few of our favorites from 2016.

Chipping Away at the Glass Ceiling

2025-12-22T22:00:47

By now, most people are familiar with the metaphorical “breaking the glass ceiling” to depict monumental gains made by women in politics, business, industry, and sports. Iconic images like Rosie the Riveter during World War II illustrated a break from tradition that made it more acceptable for women to leave the sphere of domesticity and move into the workforce. Well before the Second World War, Jeannette Rankin of Montana played her part in shattering gender stereotypes when in 1917, she became the first woman elected to Congress. This milestone paved the way for hundreds of women to follow in her footsteps.

A Boston Teaparty Party

2025-12-22T21:59:36

On December 16, 1773, colonists dumped British tea into Boston Harbor, a political protest and iconic event in American history. One hundred and one years later, the nation commemorated the event by doing just the opposite: serving tea at parties across the nation.

Cooking the Books

2025-12-22T22:00:14

With nearly 800 pages of recipes cooked up primarily by the wives and daughters of Representatives, and with occasional contributions by Members, the 1927 Congressional Club Cook Book served up a juicy slice of congressional life.

Crowned with Freedom

2025-12-22T22:01:54

Capitol Architect Thomas U. Walter had not slept well in days. The painstaking process required to mount the Statue of Freedom atop the Capitol’s unfinished new Dome had kept him awake at night. But on December 2, 1863, clear skies and a gentle breeze greeted Walter as his team of workers adjoined the final piece to the 19-foot, six-inch statue.

Edition for Educators—The House By the Numbers

2025-12-23T15:15:48

Before the 115th Congress (2017–2019) convenes in early January, review the latest statistics about the House and its history on the History, Art & Archives website.

From Candidate to Congresswoman

2025-12-23T15:14:02

Early on November 7, 1916, households with telephones in Montana received a call. “Good morning! Have you voted for Jeannette Rankin?”

The Many Depictions of Thomas Brackett Reed

2025-12-23T15:13:32

On October 18th we wished Thomas Brackett Reed, accomplished and admired three-time Speaker of the House of Representatives, a happy 177th birthday!

Get Out the Vote

2025-12-23T15:16:23

After months of political advertisements and debates, citizens turn out to elect their Representatives on Election Day. Incumbent and hopeful Members of Congress also show up at the polls in their home districts, casting a ballot (presumably) for themselves. Three photographs from the House Collection show past Representatives in the act of voting, while also posing for a good photo op.

Edition for Educators—Halloween

2025-12-23T15:18:15

In the mood for some spooky Halloween yarns? The House has its own share of tricks and treats.

Wash, Rinse, and Equal Treatment

2025-12-23T15:17:39

In December 1967 Representative Martha Griffiths stepped in to save a teetering but beloved decades-old institution known as the House Beauty Shop. What began as a makeover became a movement for equality on Capitol Hill.

#AskAnArchivist about Records Search

2025-12-23T15:18:52

On October 5, House Archivist Robin Reeder unveiled a major new website feature and answered dozens of questions during #AskAnArchivist Day on Twitter.

Unprohibited

2025-12-23T15:17:12

On February 20, 1933, Speaker Garner struggled to maintain order on the House Floor as Thomas Blanton, a “dry,” made a final stand in support of Prohibition. Garner impatiently tapped the inkstand on the rostrum as Representatives booed and shouted “Vote, vote!” After the House voted to repeal Prohibition, the galleries and halls overflowed with the applause of spectators. Yet dismantling the legislative trails of the 18th Amendment took nearly a year. Like a bar crawl, the end of Prohibition was full of awkward moments, fights, and beer.

And the Perfect Attendance Award Goes to…

2025-12-23T15:19:17

In elementary school, perfect attendance means being at school every day. Once in a while a super kid sails through high school without missing a day. Such monumental feats are usually celebrated with a certificate from the principal, or perhaps a newspaper story. In the U.S. House, perfect attendance means never missing a vote during one’s House service and, in some rare cases, making every committee meeting. Several instances of these super Members stand out in House history.

#AskACurator about the House Collection

2025-12-23T15:21:44

What object in the House Collection is the most challenging to preserve? The answer might surprise you.

Edition for Educators—Hispanic Americans in Congress in their Own Words

2025-12-23T15:21:09

The history of Hispanic Members who served in Congress is one shaped by changes in American society and in the House. In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, we invite you to learn more about these Members in their own words.

“Female Cranks” and “Gallery Girls”

2025-12-23T15:20:37

There once was a room in the Capitol that no longer exists—the Ladies’ Reception Room. Well-dressed young women, stouthearted activists, and despairing widows filled its sofas and chairs in the 19th century. Long before women entered the House Chamber as Representatives, this space was a battleground in the clash over women’s “proper” role in politics.

Celebrating 100 Years of Women in Congress

2025-12-23T15:20:09

One hundred years ago, Jeannette Rankin of Montana made history as the first woman elected to the U.S. Congress. This year, we celebrate 100 years of Women in Congress.

Taking the Steps: Unity and Recovery After 9/11

2025-12-23T15:22:55

On the evening of September 11, 2001, congressional leadership prepared to make their first collective response to the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon hours earlier. Members of Congress assembled on the Capitol steps to join leaders in a public demonstration of unity. Broadcast across the country, it became a powerful image of bipartisan cooperation and resolve, ending with an impromptu rendition of “God Bless America.” This gathering became a symbol of national unity in the ensuing weeks and months.

Take Two Aspirin and Give Me a Signed Photo

2025-12-23T15:22:23

As Attending Physician to Congress, George Calver received a special perk: Every Representative who visited him gave the doctor a signed photograph. Calver amassed a collection of congressional headshots inscribed with personal notes to him. These signed photos, now in the House Collection, reveal relationships and personalities in Congress.

Edition for Educators—Chamber Music

2025-12-22T21:58:13

Whether singing the national anthem or humming along during the latest concert on the Capitol lawn, a stirring refrain is never far from the House Chamber. This month’s Edition for Educators focuses on the long musical history of the House and its Members.

Postcards from the House(s)

2025-12-22T21:57:39

At the turn of the century, you could send a picture and a message across the country to share your adventures with friends and family for just a penny. How many bore pictures of Representatives’ homes?

Gone Fishin’

2025-12-22T21:56:10

When legislative sessions run long and the sun bakes down on the Capitol dome, sometimes Members of Congress just want to go fishing. A congressional recess tradition, fishing has long been a respite from the humidity and politics of Washington, and a source of unbelievable stories.

We Can’t Make This Stuff Up Either

2025-12-22T21:58:54

A pianist, a professor, and an anthropologist walk into the Capitol. It sounds like the set up for a bit joke. However, in researching the institution, we occasionally stumble upon a few stories that prove once again that sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. This edition features a well-known Member and his lesser known musical career; a tenthidean cephalopod on the House Floor; and the weight of a Members’ brain.

Father Knows Best

2025-12-22T21:56:42

Shortly after noon on an unseasonably mild Thursday in late February 1842, a hush fell over the House as the venerable John Quincy Adams creakily arose from his chair. Just weeks earlier, the House had considered censuring the gray-haired Massachusetts Congressman whom many knew as Old Man Eloquent to punish him for manufacturing a crippling debate about the evils of slavery. But on this day Adams eulogized North Carolina’s Lewis Williams, whom colleagues revered as the “Father of the House”—the Member with the longest continuous service.

Edition for Educators—The Olympics

2025-12-23T14:38:39

From track and field to judo to basketball, the Summer Olympics is a quadrennial event that captures the attention of imagination of people worldwide. This month’s Edition for Educators features the stories of the many Olympians who have served in the House of Representatives.

Adjournment Fever

2025-12-23T14:35:53

Finishing the legislative session in the summer used to be a yearly occurrence, with its own traditions. Members tried to guess the correct date of adjournment, sweltered through the final bills of summer, then sang into the night. Before Congress headed home for the season, these congressional traditions were recorded in photographs and oral histories.

Rising up in the House—Part II:
The House Debates the “Irish Question”

2025-12-23T14:36:34

On April 2, 1917, President Woodrow Wilson addressed a joint session of Congress to denounce German aggression. Dramatically abandoning his commitment to neutrality, he urged Congress to declare war on Imperial Germany to “make the world safe for democracy.” Wilson emphasized that the United States must undertake a principled intervention in the war in order to protect the right of self-determination for small nations. When Congress passed a war declaration on April 6, Members seized the moment to revive the issue of Irish independence, which had failed to gain traction in the House a year earlier when Missouri Representative Leonidas C. Dyer insisted that Congress support the Easter Rising.

Fandom

2025-12-23T14:39:32

Before air conditioning, portable, collapsible, and durable handheld fans were a necessity in the hot months. For congressional candidates, summertime made fans the perfect giveaway at parades, rallies, and “any kind of places where people congregate regularly in hot weather,” as one proponent noted. The House Collection contains breezemakers from a century’s worth of sweltering campaigns.

Rising up in the House—Part I:
Rep. Dyer and the Irish Rebellion of 1916

2025-12-23T14:55:25

On April 24, 1916, Irish republicans took up arms against the British government in what became known as the Easter Rising. They seized the General Post Office in Dublin and distributed the Proclamation of the Irish Republic, which affirmed the right of the Irish people to form an independent government and claimed the support of Ireland’s “exiled children in America.” The Irish insurgency, and the British response to it, both captivated and appalled the U.S. public—including Congress.

Don’t Miss the Boat

2025-12-23T14:44:32

Attempting to unite his splintering party and create legislative harmony, President Roosevelt invited Representatives, Senators, and Cabinet members to a weekend picnic in June 1937. FDR hoped to use a party to unify his party.

Before the Flag

2025-12-23T14:42:39

In 1929, the Capitol celebrated Flag Day with the United States Flag Association rolling out the (allegedly) largest flag in the world on the West Front, accompanied by an amplified, patriotic program. But what about the normal-sized, everyday flags in the Chamber? One might assume that its current spot— front and center, behind the Speaker on the rostrum—was always the case. However, there is no official protocol on flag display, so we turn to images from the House Collection to piece together the history of the flag in the House Chamber.

Edition for Educators—The Grand Old Flag

2025-12-23T15:02:18

A 1916 presidential proclamation first designated national Flag Day on June 14—the date the Continental Congress approved the design of the national flag in 1777. In 1949, the House and Senate passed a joint resolution declaring June 14 as Flag Day and authorizing the President to issue a proclamation that flags be displayed at government buildings and, further, that the President urge all citizens to observe the anniversary. This edition for educators is devoted to the American flag.

Take a Peek at Our #StaffPix

2025-12-23T15:12:04

To celebrate National Photo Month, staff from History, Art & Archives were asked to submit their favorite photos from the House Collection. Here are our #StaffPix—selections from the Archivists, Curators, and Historians.

Gone to Seed

2025-12-23T15:10:39

Cucumber, watermelon, parsley, radish, and pea. Congressional seed distribution took root in 1839 to improve domestic agriculture and propagate rare plants. But it didn’t grow organically.

Through Her Lens

2025-12-23T15:08:34

With a bounce in her step and a camera in hand, Dolly Seelmeyer walked through the halls of the United States Capitol, from 1972 to 2004, as the first female House photographer, ready to prove she could do anything a male photographer could do—“and do it better.”

Edition for Educators—Asian Pacific Heritage Month

2025-12-23T15:06:35

Norman Mineta spent nearly four years of his childhood in internment camps for Japanese Americans during World War II. First elected in 1974, Mineta served 11 terms in the House of Representatives and worked to hold the legislative process accountable and address the mistakes of the past. Learn more about the efforts and accomplishments of Mineta and other Asian and Pacific Islander Americans in Congress for Asian Pacific Heritage Month.

Lawn and Order

2025-12-23T15:06:13

Seven workers lowered their scythes and posed for a picture outside the Capitol. In the 19th century, a well-manicured lawn symbolized stability and righteousness—exactly the image of the nation that Congress wanted to project. But it took a lot of work to keep the Capitol’s grounds photo ready. It was a real case of lawn versus order.

Rediscovering Rainey's Reign

2025-12-22T21:52:30

It’s unclear what prompted Representative Luke Poland of Vermont to leave the rostrum that day and yield the gavel, as the 43rd Congress (1873–1875) debated an Indian appropriations bill. But what is clear is that he set in motion a series of events that seemed the very culmination of the Civil War. When Poland stepped down, Joseph Hayne Rainey of South Carolina—a former slave who had once been impressed into service by the Confederacy before escaping to Bermuda—mounted the Speaker’s rostrum, grasped the gavel, and set Capitol Hill abuzz.

Ten Trumpets and a Flying Coffin

2025-12-22T21:51:18

What did it take to be heard in the House of Representatives? Acoustics were notoriously bad in the House Chamber in the early 20th century. Getting from “wait, what?” to “loud and clear” required three tries, ten trumpets, and a flying coffin.

Edition for Educators—Supreme Court

2025-12-22T21:51:53

This edition for educators highlights some of the shared history and personalities that have shaped the House of Representatives and the Supreme Court. Beginning with the Judiciary Act of 1789, which established the court, and the selection of Continental Congress Member, John Jay, as the first Chief Justice, these co-equal branches of government have a unique history.

Dial Main 3120 for Members

2025-12-22T21:54:45

Standing next to the Capitol switchboard, chief operator Harriott Daley broke into a smile. “She must have a lot of interesting recollections,” a Washington Post reporter mused, “since she is in the top telephone spot in the Nation.”

Esther and Ellen

2025-12-23T15:05:48

In 1910, two women artists doubled the number of paintings by women in the House of Representatives. One, Ellen Day Hale, was highly accomplished, and the other, Esther Edmonds, was an emerging talent at the start of her career.

Framing Women Members in Photographs

2025-12-23T15:04:02

News photographs often depicted early female Members of Congress as homemakers and glamour girls rather than politicians, framing the public’s view of their Representatives.

Edition for Educators - Women in Congress in their Own Words

2025-12-23T15:05:22

The history of women who served in Congress is one shaped by changes in American society and in the House. In celebration of Women’s History Month, we invite you to learn more about these Members in their own words.

"You've Won Your Way Into Our Hearts"

2025-12-23T15:03:28

Tucked away in a corner of the L-shaped Republican Cloakroom reserved for Members of Congress, a hard-working, modest woman ran a cramped lunch counter. Part of a world built upon power and influence, Helen Sewell did not use her position for political gain, but focused instead on caring for the people she considered family for more than 70 years.

Edition for Educators—Black Americans in Congress in their Own Words

2025-12-23T15:04:37

Since 1870, more than 130 African Americans have served in the House. Some, like Joseph Rainey of South Carolina or Adam Clayton Powell of New York, left an enduring mark on the institution through historic firsts and groundbreaking legislation.

Edition for Educators—Black History Month: African-American Congressmen in Committee

2025-12-22T22:04:49

The institution of Jim Crow laws in the late 1800s sharply limited the number of African Americans elected to Congress until passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965. As voting reforms led to greater black political participation and more African-Americans being elected to Congress, Black Members began to establish seniority sufficient to attain chairmanships and better committee assignments.

Washington, Schlepped Here

2025-12-22T22:03:21

This familiar portrait of George Washington hangs in the Rayburn Room of the Capitol. Its location seems to make perfect sense: the capital city bears Washington’s name, he laid the building’s cornerstone, and his likeness is repeated hundreds of times around the city. Nonetheless, the Capitol was never intended to be this painting’s home.

(Congress)Men without Hats

2025-12-22T22:03:55

British traveler Henry B. Fearon cast a critical gaze from the House Gallery across the frothy sea of nearly 200 Representatives of the 15th Congress (1817-1819). "Spitting boxes are placed at the feet of each member, and, contrary to the practices of the [Senate], members and visitors wear their hats."

Papering the House

2025-12-22T22:02:51

Imagine you are a teenager and unexpectedly come into a small fortune. What would you do with the money? One House Page took an unconventional path with his inheritance in 1923, using the funds to patent his peculiar invention.

The House’s Pillsbury Boy

2025-12-22T22:05:42

“Little Bertie” was just 11 years old when he scored a ringside seat to history.

Edition for Educators—Bon Appétit

2022-04-05T13:56:52

This month’s Edition for Educators features epicurean culture in the House of Representatives, both the mouth-watering and the gut-wrenching.

A “Troublesome and Greatly Derided Custom” — Answering the Annual Message

2025-12-30T16:02:06

During the presidencies of George Washington and John Adams, the process of the State of the Union and its responses was more genteel and singular, but no less contentious than it is today. In the 1790s, both houses of Congress drafted, debated, and marched en masse to the President’s mansion to deliver a formal, unified response, addressing the important issues raised by the executive. That is, until one volatile Member of the House dared to wonder aloud what the fuss was all about.

Please Put the Bartholdi Fountain in My Front Yard

2026-03-02T16:42:11

From 1877 to 1932, the Bartholdi Fountain searched for a permanent home. Though concealed in the old Botanic Garden grounds near the Capitol, the majestic water feature attracted a lot of attention. Everyone in Washington, D.C., had an opinion about where it should go. And every resident, it seemed, wanted it in his or her front yard.

Best of the Blog in 2015

2025-09-26T11:39:28

As December draws to a close, there’s a tendency to review the efforts of the year. Here’s just a few of our favorites from 2015.

We Can’t Make This Stuff Up . . .

2025-09-26T11:38:22

Research on the most benign topics can uncover a gem or two when least expected. Sometimes it’s just a random piece of trivia that adds a little bit of detail to the rich history of the institution. And then there are the other times . . . the times when you question the validity of the material and think to yourself, “This is so good it’s better than fiction.” Here are a few examples that fall into the “believe it or not” category.

I Can Vote for War

2025-09-26T11:40:26

Jeannette Rankin of Montana, the first woman elected to Congress, gained notoriety through the accidents of history. A confirmed pacifist, her two widely separated terms in the House put her in the position of voting against U.S. participation in both World War I (April 6, 1917) and World War II (December 8, 1941). But there was another vote...

The Show Must Go On

2025-09-26T15:55:38

From impassioned speeches to interminable filibusters, congressional oratory is a performing art. But performance doesn’t end inside the House Chamber. The Capitol steps and grounds have set the stage for a number of unlikely recitals, from dancing “modern wood nymphs” to operatic House Pages.

Edition for Educators – Thanksgiving Holiday

2025-09-26T16:05:38

Ready for some turkey and taters? Thanksgiving Day has officially been around as long as the House of Representatives, and it’s seen some congressional attention since it was first declared more than 200 years ago.

Half Baked

2025-09-26T16:02:15

Most debates in the House are settled on the House Floor. But one unusual battle was fought—with potatoes—at the House Restaurant. In the northeastern corner, armed with Aroostook spuds, was Maine. In the northwestern corner, nicknamed the “Potato State,” was Idaho. Maine versus Idaho: the half-baked potato war of 1937.

What's in the Speaker's Office?

2025-09-26T15:53:28

Increased space, more frequent visits by foreign dignitaries, and the demand for news photos spurred development of what is today known as the Speaker’s Ceremonial Office. The room was part of the 1857 Capitol extension and is furnished to suit the Victorian style with pieces from the House Collection.

Did House Records Solve a Mystery? #AskAnArchivist and Find Out

2018-08-22T19:39:23

On October 1st, House Archivist Robin Reeder put down her acid-free folders and picked up her keyboard to answer questions on Twitter. During #AskAnArchivist day, readers asked questions big and small. Robin discussed challenges, historic events, rare documents, and a mystery involving Watergate records.

Edition for Educators—Speakers of the House

2025-09-26T17:46:28

This Edition for Educators highlights the Speaker of the House. Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution states: “The House of Representatives shall chuse their Speaker and other Officers.” The Speaker acts as leader of the House and combines several roles, including the institutional role of the presiding officer of the House, the partisan leader of the majority party, and the representative role of an elected Member of Congress.

The Speaker Inquisition of 1856

2025-09-26T17:45:16

Shortly before seven o’clock in the evening, on Saturday, February 2, 1856, Nathaniel P. Banks of Massachusetts, strode to the well of the House, climbed the rostrum’s few steps to the Speaker’s chair, and sat down. He paused for a moment. With his thick dark hair swept to one side and a prominent mustache obscuring his upper lip, Banks then stood to address his colleagues.

Photography’s Ghosts

2025-09-26T17:43:42

What’s that in the back of the House Chamber? Is the camera out of focus, or could there be a ghost in the Capitol?

Tabbing through Congress

2025-09-26T17:39:21

If your signature look is a black bow tie, and if you are a candidate for Congress, do you want your campaign buttons to look like bow ties? Of course!

Edition for Educators—Statutory Representatives

2025-09-26T17:47:31

This month’s Edition for Educators highlights statutory representatives in the House. Since its inception, Congress has contended with the Constitution’s silence on the issue of representation for U.S. territories. Over decades of improvisation, a system of “statutory representation” emerged that consisting of laws crafted by Congress and evolving procedural rules in the House to give territories a limited voice in the national legislature through the offices of the Territorial Delegate and the Resident Commissioner.

What Did You #AskACurator?

2018-08-22T19:05:41

What item in the House Collection looks like it came straight out of a horror film? Inquiring minds wanted to know and they got their answer on #AskACurator Day.

(Stereo)View the House in 3-D

2025-09-26T17:36:01

“A new optical instrument, called the Stereoscope, is attracting much attention,” wrote the Baltimore Sun in 1852. The apparatus worked with special images, called stereoviews. Seen through the stereoscope, these prints appeared shockingly three-dimensional. No need for 19th century technology. Now you can put on your 3-D glasses to explore the history of this format and take a new look at House Collection stereoviews.

Edition for Educators—Joint Meetings and Joint Sessions

2025-09-26T17:34:53

This month's Edition for Educators highlights Joint Meetings and Joint Sessions. The two houses of Congress generally work separately, but on occasion the House of Representatives and the Senate gather together in Joint Meetings and Joint Sessions for moments of historic significance.

September 12, 2001: “We All Went Back to Work”

2025-09-26T17:31:35

After the terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001, the country spent time mourning and reflecting on the tragedy. For many people at the U.S. Capitol, September 12 meant a return to work, but it was far from business as usual.

Close-Up and Personal

2025-09-26T11:36:34

Congressional photographic portraits serve an important function—recording an image of a Member for history. They can also surprise the viewer with their beauty. Harris & Ewing, a Washington, D.C., photography studio, produced luminous congressional photographs that are worth a closer look.

“It Isn’t a School, and I’m Not a Schoolmaster”

2025-09-26T11:34:57

Do you remember having jitters on the first day at a new school? It could be a strange environment with unfamiliar classrooms, new teachers, and fidgety students who wanted to be somewhere else. New Members of Congress have had similar feelings.

Edition for Educators—In Pursuit of House Trivia

2025-09-26T11:33:51

This month’s Edition for Educators highlights trivia spanning the history of the House of Representatives, spotlighting a few unique firsts, records, and watershed moments. Who was the first known Representative to be elected by a write-in vote? What is on Charles Schulz’s Congressional Gold Medal? And how long would “Uncle Joe” cook a ham hock for his bean soup? All of this trivia and more can be found on the History, Art & Archives website.

The Saga of “Sausage” Sawyer

2025-09-26T11:32:22

In politics as in life, everyone discovers that they have to choose their battles, deciding when to fight and when to walk away. The lucky ones get to learn this lesson early and in private. Then there are others, like Ohio Representative William Sawyer.

The Artist Formerly Known as Fox

2025-09-25T21:57:50

At 10 different portrait unveilings on Capitol Hill, a man named Charles J. Fox was praised as the artist who captured the sitter’s likeness. In fact, Fox was not an artist. His name wasn't even Charles. The real creator was someone else entirely.

Wheelchairs, Ramps, and a Scooter Named “Lulu”

2025-09-26T17:28:18

In the House of Representatives, accessibility was a subject of consideration on the House Floor in the first half of the 20th century, many decades before Rep. Tony Coelho introduced the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1989. Wheelchairs, scooters, and ramps were known to be used in the Chamber and around the Capitol as early as 1881. Photographs from the House Collection document the history of accessibility in the House Chamber.

Party Like It's 1732

2025-09-26T14:10:12

Landmark birthdays are a big deal, and for George Washington’s 200th, a master party planner was necessary. The House’s own Rep. Sol Bloom applied his talents to the task, coordinating a cross-country series of events—and some interesting souvenirs—throughout 1932.

Edition for Educators—Continental and Confederation Congresses

2025-09-26T13:46:10

Fifteen years before the First Federal Congress met, Great Britain’s American colonies convened a Continental Congress in response to the Intolerable Acts, a series of taxes imposed in the wake of the Boston Tea Party incident of December 1773. The Confederation Congress was dissolved after ratification of the Constitution, and prior to the convening of the First Federal Congress in the spring of 1789.

"20 Little Salesmen"

2025-09-26T13:42:22

Not so long ago, match companies touted “the smashing advertising power of book matches!” as the best way to light a fire under voters. Budget-conscious candidates agreed. Low cost and wide use turned a set of strikes into “20 little salesmen” for congressional candidates.

When Ice Cream Got Hot in Congress

2025-09-26T14:14:15

In October 1921, a cow mysteriously appeared in the grassy House Office Building courtyard. Bossie arrived amid milkshake profiteering, sundae protests, and illegal ice cream on the Capitol grounds. Cold and creamy on a summer evening, ice cream seems like the most innocent of sweets. But it once got pretty sticky around the House.

Edition for Educators—Fun and Games

2025-09-26T14:13:16

This month's Edition for Educators highlights pastimes in the House of Representatives, from baseball to horseshoes.

The Man in Black’s Tribute to the Ragged Old Flag

2025-09-26T14:11:19

On June 14, 1977, the Man in Black strode into the House Chamber as if it were the stage of a country music hall. But music legend Johnny Cash wasn't about to belt out tunes for any ordinary concert. Rather, Cash delivered a moving poem to celebrate the bicentennial of the U.S. flag.

Capitol Guides in the 1920s

2026-09-08T21:04:50

No, you’re not seeing double: these happy Capitol guides are twins.

Chasing Congress Away

2025-09-26T14:12:10

In the summer of 1783, a rowdy, slightly tipsy band of unpaid soldiers chased the Confederation Congress from Philadelphia, its home for much of the Revolutionary War.

#ThenAndNow: Photographs from the House Collection

2025-09-26T15:43:18

May is National Photo Month. We celebrated by spotlighting four photographs from the House Collection, creating and tweeting #ThenAndNow images around the Capitol.

History, Art & Archives’ Top Ten List

2025-09-26T15:42:21

In the spirit of Top Ten Lists on late night television, History, Art & Archives presents our ten favorite Historical Highlights and Blog Posts.

Edition for Educators—The Old House and the Sea

2025-09-26T15:49:38

On January 20, 1794, Members in the House of Representatives introduced a bill providing for a standing U.S. Navy. Though the bill faced heavy opposition from Members wary of a standing military force, the bill passed the House on March 10, as the threat of piracy loomed in the Mediterranean Sea. This Edition for Educators celebrates the House of Representatives’ maritime connections.

Sketchy Job Interview

2025-09-26T15:50:50

When Constantino Brumidi first arrived at the United States Capitol, he made this sketch. It was his job application to paint the capitol's frescoes. Brumidi ultimately decorated much of the Capitol's interior. And this little painting is where it all began.

Hawaii Comes to the Capitol

2025-09-26T15:52:04

Aloha! Speakers of the House Nicholas Longworth and William Bankhead agreed with the Los Angeles Times: “We don’t need an excuse to enjoy the relaxed, romantic pleasure of a Hawaiian party.” In the 1920s and 1930s, Hawaiian-style parties flourished across the states, and even made it to the Capitol.

Fair Fight

2025-09-25T21:55:39

World’s fairs were big business at the turn of the 20th century, and constituents—with scores of pro-fair campaign postcards in hand—lined up behind San Francisco Representative Julius Kahn’s efforts to bring the 1915 event to the city by the bay.

Edition for Educators—Gaveling In

2025-09-25T21:54:27

This month’s Edition for Educators focuses on an everyday tool with a rich tradition in the history of the House of Representatives: the gavel. Gavels have special significance in the House, where they have many purposes: as instruments of order and decorum, as symbols of power, and sometimes as souvenirs. Each, in its own right, could tell a unique tale. Following are a few examples.

The Unlucky Seventh

2025-09-25T21:38:41

If you studied Latin in school you may recall the phrase, “Omne trium perfectum” (every set of three is complete). From history to pop culture, trios make for interesting stories. Ancient Rome had Julius Caesar, Cleopatra, and Mark Antony. The antebellum Senate boasted its Great Triumvirate—Webster, Calhoun, and Clay. The Bee Gees laid down the beat for 1970s disco goers. Harry Potter and his friends, Ron and Hermione, spellbound a later generation. The Illinois Seventh Congressional District of the 1840s spawned its own memorable political trio: John J. Hardin, Edward D. Baker, and Abraham Lincoln.

Behind the Photos

2025-09-25T21:56:35

This portrait of Representative John Sosnowski seems pretty standard—until you turn it over and read the back.

Edition for Educators—Firsts for Women in Congress

2025-09-26T17:27:11

In 1965, Patsy Mink became the first woman of color elected to Congress. An advocate for equal rights as well as many other women’s issues, one of her greatest accomplishments was the passage of the Women’s Education Equality Act, as part of a comprehensive education bill, in 1974. Learn more about Mink and other firsts for women in Congress.

To Be a Gallery God

2025-09-26T15:12:57

“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. The House Collection contains some of the oldest (and newest) varieties of gallery tickets, from scribbled passes to high-tech printed ones.

Topping Uncle Joe

2025-09-26T15:13:45

Just an accessory? Maybe not. At a time when men’s hats spoke volumes about their personalities and status, Speaker Joseph Cannon’s headwear, including slouch hats, straw hats, and an “ancient woolly topper,” proved a potent symbol of his iron power, strong personality, and folksy manner.

Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimage “Like Going to Normandy with Dwight Eisenhower”

2025-09-26T17:26:13

Rarely do we visit a historic site with someone who helped to make history there. But this weekend, more than 60 Members of Congress will travel to Alabama with Selma veteran and Congressman John Lewis of Georgia. The Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimage will commemorate the 50th anniversaries of the Selma-to-Montgomery marches which spurred passage of the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965. The pilgrimage is an important congressional tradition and one the Office of the Historian chronicles through its civil rights oral history project.

Before Bloody Sunday

2025-12-04T19:02:21

A month before Selma became synonymous with the struggle for voting rights, a group of Congressmen traveled to the city and returned to Washington to sound the alarm. “We—as Members of Congress—must face the fact that existing legislation just is not working,” Joseph Resnick of New York said upon his return. “The situation in Selma must jar us from our complacency concerning voting rights.”

Edition for Educators—African-American Congressmen in the 19th Century

2025-09-26T11:41:34

Robert Smalls fought for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives despite violence from the opposition, and focused his congressional career on promoting African-American civil rights. Twenty-two African-Americans served in Congress from 1870 to 1901. Learn more about the life and accomplishments of Robert Smalls and other 19th-century African-American Members of Congress for Black History Month.

Plating Possum

2025-09-26T13:14:48

When this possum snuck into the Old House Office Building in 1946, it had little idea that it would end up as a Capitol dinner.

Breaking the Code: Duncan Lee, HUAC, and the Venona Files

2025-09-26T13:10:28

Here’s the thing about being a spy: You can’t tell anybody. Especially if you’re a descendant of the Lee family of Virginia, educated at an elite prep school and university, a Rhodes Scholar, a lawyer at a prominent Manhattan law firm, and working in counterintelligence for the United States. Duncan Chaplin Lee was and did all of those things. He was a spy, and he got away with it.

Edition for Educators—Capitol Tour

2025-09-26T13:39:22

Did you watch last week’s State of the Union and wonder about what you saw in the House Chamber? Do you have a trip to Washington, D.C., planned? Or is Washington too far away and you want to tour the home of our legislative branch from your classroom? Here’s a glimpse at the House side of the U.S. Capitol—both the public spaces and a few, special behind-the-scenes looks at rooms not typically open to tourists.

Lobbying in the Lobby

2025-09-26T13:16:58

Buttonholing Members of Congress to tell them how you think they should vote—that’s as old as the republic itself. But calling it “lobbying”? Where does that come from?

Congress Works It Out at the House Gym

2025-09-26T16:10:54

Representatives Fred Britten and Dan Reed made a New Year’s resolution in 1920: Get in shape. But first, they had to build a gym for Members of Congress.

The Second Battle of New Orleans

2025-09-26T13:40:10

Two hundred years ago this week, the Battle of New Orleans—the final military campaign of the War of 1812—culminated on January 8, 1815, when forces under the command of General Andrew Jackson routed British troops at Chalmette Plantation, along the Mississippi River just downstream from the great port city.

Knit One, Purl Two in the House Gallery?

2018-08-23T13:34:09

Opening day of a new Congress is usually a day full of excitement and activity. A new session begins, the Members are sworn in, and the House of Representatives organizes itself for the first time in a new term. Adding to the excitement of the opening day of March 9, 1933, a special visitor was in attendance, the new First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. The flurry of activity in the House Chamber can sometimes be chaotic, but the rules of the House maintain the decorum and help the “People’s House” function smoothly. But, as the First Lady’s visit soon proved, those same rules are sometimes subject to change for special visitors.

A Tale of Two Vases

2024-03-04T17:19:32

Once upon a time, in 1918, the U.S. House of Representatives received a gift of two porcelain vases. They were exquisite. Commanding attention, standing nearly six feet tall, the attractive vessels were a gesture from France expressing gratitude for America’s role in World War I.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the White House

2018-08-23T13:28:17

In our age of voluminous email traffic and cluttered inboxes, it’s easy to overlook certain correspondence and even misplace particular documents. Things get lost in the shuffle, we say. It happens. But as the White House demonstrated in 1920, it’s been happening for longer than we might imagine, and well before the advent of email.

Edition for Educators—The House Votes for War

2018-08-23T13:26:12

On this day in 1941, the House of Representatives passed the Declaration of War against Japan following the attack on the Pearl Harbor naval base in Hawaii. This month’s Edition for Educators focuses on the House of Representatives votes on declarations of war.

#AskAnArchivist about #HouseRecords

2018-08-23T13:21:11

Robin Reeder, the House Archivist, took a break from the records of the House to participate in the very first #AskAnArchivist day, October 30th, on Twitter. Organized by the Society of American Archivists, #AskAnArchivist day gave students and researchers the opportunity to ask questions about collections and archiving.

No Going Home for the Holidays

2018-08-23T13:17:29

We’ve all been a part of those Thanksgiving dinners where nobody got along. On Thanksgiving Day, 1937, the House was no exception.

“The Only Thing You Could Hear Was People Crying”

2018-08-23T13:14:45

“Where were you when President Kennedy was shot?” became a defining question for a generation of Americans stunned by the violent act which took the life of the 35th U.S. President. As the nation sought to come to terms with the assassination of John F. Kennedy, the Capitol prepared for a rare lying-in-state ceremony reserved for the country’s most distinguished citizens. Countless staff worked behind the scenes to quickly assemble a memorial service to honor a fallen President and to help a distraught nation mourn the untimely passing of a popular American leader.

The Last Will and Testament of a Lame Duck

2018-08-23T13:12:11

It’s not a hunting term. Nor is it a cooking experiment gone wrong. It’s a phrase often bandied about after an election: the “lame duck,” or departing politician who returns to office for the remainder of his or her term after the November elections. It can be an awkward position, but one in which at least one woman Member found creative inspiration.

Edition for Educators—Veterans and Congress

2018-08-23T13:10:31

This month's Edition for Educators focuses on the relationship between Congress and the men and women who have fought for the United States at home and abroad.

Did You #AskACurator?

2018-08-23T13:04:03

Large and small, the questions came, and @USHouseHistory answered them during #AskACurator day on September 17. In what has now become an annual Twitter event, 47,546 tweets used the hashtag #AskACurator to pose questions to and elicit answers from curators at 721 museums in 43 countries. They weren’t all directed to or coming from the House, but many were, and the House Curator Farar Elliott spent an hour answering them. Here are some of the most intriguing responses.

“Issue the Order, Sir, and I’ll Storm Hell!”

2018-08-23T12:59:26

On July 4, 1809, an unusual reburial ceremony took place at the Wayne family burial grounds in Radnor, Pennsylvania. For 12 years, the remains of “Mad” Anthony Wayne, the Revolutionary War hero and former congressman, had rested 400 miles away on the shores of Lake Erie. But on that early summer day, Mad Anthony’s remains were going home—well, most of them were going home.

Edition for Educators—Elections

2018-08-22T21:00:41

Constitutionally mandated to be the “People’s House,” the House of Representatives has always been elected directly by the voters bienially.

Plastic Fantastic

2024-09-19T19:32:26

Stylish! Modern! Sturdy! And cheap! In the 1930s, Bakelite, an early plastic, was touted as “The Material of a Thousand Uses.” What uses, exactly? In one instance, desks for Congress.

Leave No Forwarding Address: When Congress Almost Abandoned D.C.

2018-08-22T20:50:42

It was a low moment. When the 13th Congress (1813–1815) trickled into Washington, D.C., in September 1814 for a third session, they found a terrorized community, most public buildings destroyed, and a humiliated army on retreat. Once the grandest building in North America, the unfinished Capitol resembled a charcoal briquette. And though the invading British forces had departed more than three weeks previously, the damage they inflicted—both physical and emotional—very nearly convinced the shocked legislators to abandon Washington for good.

Take a Seat

2023-04-05T18:31:24

For more than a century, a desk in the House Chamber was a Member’s office. He stowed his hat beneath his chair, wrote and stored papers in the writing desk, and occasionally propped his feet up to listen to debate. Why did picking one's desk matter?

“Harry Needs a Rest”

2018-08-22T20:44:19

In an institution still largely segregated and even unwelcoming to its African-American Members in the 1930s, Harry Parker’s six decades of loyal service to the House engendered respect and affection. The New York Times described the House Chamber’s 1937 celebration of Parker's retirement as the “most extraordinary tribute ever paid” to an African-American in the House up to that point.

Edition for Educators—Hispanic Heritage Month

2019-04-12T16:32:17

Learn about the efforts and accomplishments of Hispanic Americans in Congress for Hispanic Heritage Month.

Hoist the Colors!

2018-08-22T20:22:25

Tasked with updating the American flag following the War of 1812, New York Representative Peter H. Wendover sought the advice of Captain Samuel C. Reid, one of America’s most famous privateers. After privateering under the star-spangled banner, what fresh ideas could Reid bring to the much-needed new design?

Wish You Were Here

2018-08-22T20:17:26

As long as people have traveled, they have wanted to share experiences with the folks at home, and nearly 200 years of tourism show that visitors to the Capitol are no exception. The invention of picture postcards in the late 19th century added a level of efficiency to the impulse to share, and quickly escalated into a mailing frenzy. And as a prime destination, the Capitol was a mainstay of the genre with every photogenic part finding its way through the mail.

The Most Important Congressional Source You’ve Never Heard Of

2018-08-22T20:09:16

Open to the Foreword of the most recent Congressional Directory, and you’ll learn that it’s “one of the oldest working handbooks within the United States Government,” compiled unofficially from 1789 to 1847, and officially by Congress ever since. What it won’t tell you is that the Directory is a rich and multi-layered resource about the House, the Senate, and life on Capitol Hill. They’re yeoman-like and unassuming, but for historians and political scientists they provide a valuable means of studying the first branch of government.

Mr. Silversmith Goes to Washington

2024-01-19T18:26:48

Once upon a time, a young man came to Washington. He wasn’t sophisticated, but he had loads of ambition. He was destined to leave his mark on Congress. No, it wasn’t Jimmy Stewart's fictional character arriving in 1939 to clean up the corrupt Senate in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.

Edition for Educators—Burning of the Capitol

2018-08-22T19:58:04

This month's Edition for Educators focuses on the War of 1812 in commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the burning of the U.S. Capitol on August 24, 2014.

A Committee Chair Huddle

2018-08-22T19:54:47

Maybe it was a chance meeting . . . or maybe it wasn’t? On July 23, 1937, House Members Caroline O’Day of New York and Mary Norton of New Jersey met Senator Hattie Caraway of Arkansas in the halls of the U.S. Capitol. What made this spur-of-the-moment meeting unique was that three women chaired three committees simultaneously for the first time in congressional history.

"A Law-Making Mill:" The Hopper, The House, and Agrarian America

2018-08-22T19:50:38

A basket, a hopper, a bin. All new legislation has its start here, a container located on the rostrum in the House Chamber. At the end of every legislative day the Clerk of the House collects the bills and assigns each one a number. From there, the bills are referred to committee by the Speaker with the aid of the Parliamentarian. The story of how the hopper got its name speaks to the nation’s agrarian roots and the legislative process.

Tax Reform with a Side of Margarine

2018-08-22T19:47:20

Nineteenth-century tax policy was hardly as dry as plain toast. Congress returned to the margarine debate again and again for nearly 65 years.

Being Seen and Heard—A Tantalizing Prospect

2018-08-22T19:44:31

A parliamentary insult hurled at a Republican freshman had the effect of briefly banding his colleagues into a memorable (and merry) bloc.

Edition for Educators – Technology in the House

2021-05-11T17:39:24

The July Edition for Educators is dedicated to advances in technology and communication in the House of Representatives. Learn more about the how advances in technology have transformed the U.S. House of Representatives.

Vent Elation

2018-08-22T19:22:07

“No good legislation comes out of Washington after June.” Speaker of the House John Nance Garner spent 30 years in Congress, and he knew to get out of town ahead of the wilting summer weather. Washington in July and August is a desperately swampy place. Then one day in 1928, “manufactured weather” arrived in the House of Representatives’ Chamber.

Psychological Gastronomy

2025-05-05T17:18:40

“Gastro psychologist, doctor of roasts” was the honorary title bestowed on House Restaurant proprietor Tom Murrey by the Washington Post in an 1894 article. The reason for this accolade was Murrey’s theory on the relationship between what a Member would eat at lunch and what legislative work he accomplished—or rather, didn’t accomplish—afterward.

Please Pass the Gavel

2018-08-22T19:13:10

During his nearly four decade career in Congress, Republican Leader Bob Michel of Illinois had only one chance to preside over the House. Ironically, his short-lived time in the Speaker’s chair came when the Democrats held the majority and because his colleague Speaker Tom Foley of Washington decided that Michel had waited long enough to wield the gavel.

Edition for Educators – Summer Reading

2018-08-22T19:08:16

The History, Art & Archives website has all you need to keep your mind sharp (and entertained) this summer. Learn more about some “summer reading” options about the House of Representatives.

The British Are Coming!

2025-05-05T17:39:11

More than 150 years after the American Revolution, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth of England made history when they set foot on American soil. As the first reigning English monarchs to visit the United States, they received a much warmer reception than the British forces of Paul Revere’s time. Amid much fanfare and eager anticipation on both sides of the Atlantic on the eve of World War II, the royal couple embarked on a brief but meaningful tour of the U.S. and Canada, which included a formal reception at the U.S. Capitol on June 9, 1939.

“Some of Our Boys Died Last Night”

2025-09-25T20:48:14

On June 6, 1944, Allied forces commenced the invasion of Western Europe known today as D-Day. Chaplain Reverend James Shera Montgomery opened the June 7 meeting of the House with a prayer that reflected both the nation’s concerns and hopes.

Doing the Dishes

2025-09-25T20:11:03

Sifted peas, Vanderbilt dressing, kraut juice, steak Stanley, and kaffee hag – now that sounds like a hearty meal. Historic menus from the House Restaurant, dating back more than 80 years, include some incomprehensible dishes.

Shall We Play a Game?

2025-09-25T20:09:35

The game of chess requires skill, intellect, a bit of luck and in this case . . . military strategy and a telegraph? In 1897, Members from the House of Representatives and the British House of Commons set up the first intercontinental game of chess among elected government leaders.

"Best Speller in the United States"

2025-09-25T20:07:44

Do you know how to spell “hydrocephalus”? If so, you might have had the orthographical muscle necessary to compete against some of the top spellers of the early 20th century. Long before the era of computers and spell check, many Americans participated in a growing national phenomenon: spelling bees. As the popularity of spelling contests blossomed in the United States, the House of Representatives joined in on the fun.

The White Squadron

2025-09-25T20:05:44

Peace (The White Squadron in Boston Harbor), or more simply Peace, has been around the block—the Capitol block. It started out in Chicago, came to the Capitol, and then arrived at the Cannon House Office Building.

Edition for Educators — Speaker of the House Joe Cannon of Illinois

2025-09-25T20:03:13

Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution states: “The House of Representatives shall chuse their Speaker and other Officers.” And when Congress first convened in 1789, the House chose Frederick A.C. Muhlenberg as its Speaker. More than a century later, the House chose Joe Cannon of Illinois to serve as its leader. A self-described “hayseed” from Illinois, Cannon ruled the House with an iron fist. Learn more about colorful “Uncle Joe” Cannon and the Office of the Speaker.

Jacob Coxey: Guerrilla Lobbyist

2025-09-25T20:00:46

The cover of an 1894 Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Weekly shows the dramatic end to Jacob Coxey’s journey to Washington—his arrest amidst a crowd of supporters at the Capitol. So how did this wealthy eccentric and his entourage become national news?

Edition for Educators – The House Page Program

2025-09-25T19:58:38

For more than two centuries, young people served as Pages in the U.S. House of Representatives and enjoyed an unparalleled opportunity to observe and participate in the legislative process in “the People’s House.” Learn more about the origins of the House Page Program and the traditions that made it unique.

Isidor and Ida: The True Love Story of the Titanic

2025-07-24T19:07:36

Those who think that James Cameron told the great love story of the Titanic missed the boat. The plight of the Titanic, sinking in the icy waters of the North Atlantic during its maiden voyage from England to the United States in April 1912, is well known. But few may know that among those who perished in the wreck were a former Member of Congress and his wife.

A Mob in Search of a Speaker

2026-08-13T19:14:47

During the chaotic first two weeks of the 26th Congress (1839–1841) in December 1839, three separate men presided over the House of Representatives: Clerk Hugh Garland of the previous Congress, Representative John Quincy Adams of Massachusetts in an entirely invented position, and finally Robert M. T. Hunter of Virginia, the youngest Speaker of the House ever to hold the office.

Sentenced to Death

2025-09-25T19:54:01

Successful candidates to the House of Representatives usually differentiate themselves from other office seekers. Few, however, prove their commitment to the people by being sentenced to death like Robert W. Wilcox, the first Delegate from the Territory of Hawaii.

George H. Tinkham—The Subtitles Write Themselves

2025-09-25T19:52:07

Once storied but now largely forgotten, the life and times of Representative George Holden Tinkham of Massachusetts beckon an enterprising biographer. Were someone to take up the call, the list of amusing subtitles might include: The Shot Heard ‘Round the World, Gone on Safari or The Congressman Who Rarely Campaigned.

Edition for Educators – Celebrating Women’s History Month

2025-09-25T19:48:30

Jeannette Rankin’s life was filled with extraordinary achievements: she was the first woman elected to Congress, one of the few suffragists elected to Congress, and the only Member of Congress to vote against U.S. participation in both World War I and World War II. Learn more about the efforts and accomplishments of Rankin and other Women in Congress for Women's History Month.

“No Other Word than Magic”

2025-09-25T19:44:33

Clocks all over the House of Representatives—the plain ones, the fancy ones, even the ones that look like they belong in a high school classroom—have a little set of lights connected to them. Sometimes one is lit, sometimes all seven flash, and sometimes they are accompanied by loud buzzes (or rings, as they are officially termed) blasting a seemingly incomprehensible sequence. How did such a sound-and-light show end up in Congress?

Hollywood's Love Affair with Thaddeus Stevens

2025-09-25T19:42:50

Pennsylvania’s Thaddeus Stevens, gaunt, grim, and badly bewigged, would appear to be a poor candidate for the silver screen. Yet, he has appeared as a major character in three movies, each of which portrayed him in a different light.

“Firecrackers” in the House Chamber

2025-09-25T19:37:14

“It sounded like a package of firecrackers were lit and set off, but with the ricochet, in my mind, it identified it as a shot, so I hit the floor very quickly,” House Page and future Representative Paul Kanjorski of Pennsylvania recalled. When the House convened on March 1, 1954, no one would have imagined the danger awaiting Members and staff. Within a matter of moments, normal House proceedings turned to uncertainty and chaos. During the past decade, the Office of the Historian interviewed eyewitnesses to the House shooting. Sixty years later, we can glean what happened through the eyes of four of these interviewees.

Edition for Educators—Celebrating Black History Month

2025-09-25T19:32:55

In 1870, Senator Hiram Revels of Mississippi and Representative Joseph Rainey of South Carolina became the first African Americans to serve in Congress. Since that time, a total of 140 African Americans have served as U.S. Representatives or Senators. Learn about the many accomplishments and historic firsts among African-American Members of Congress for Black History Month.

George Washington’s Bling

2025-09-25T19:31:11

The oldest object in the House Collection is also one of the smallest. It’s less than an inch across, but the man who owned it was a giant figure in American history.

The Origins of Prince Cupid

2025-09-25T19:27:24

He belonged to the Royal Family, fought against usurpers of the throne, languished in prison, and went into exile from his native land before settling in Washington. There he lavishly entertained the capital elite. His was the stuff of romantic adventure novels like The Prisoner of Zenda, The Count of Monte Cristo, or The Riddle of the Sands. And yet, Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaʻole served as the Delegate from Hawaii from 1903 until his death in 1922. Known as “Prince Cupid” for much of his life, the name captured his flamboyant lifestyle.

I've Scalped Him?

2025-09-25T19:26:09

In the early morning hours of February 6, 1858, a fight erupted between South Carolina Fire-Eater Laurence Keitt and Republican abolitionist Galusha Grow of Pennsylvania on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives. As Members from each side joined the fray, Wisconsin Representative John F. Potter, the “Western Hercules,” snatched the toupee from atop Mississippi Representative William Barksdale’s head and the House erupted in laughter at the absurdity. “Horray, boys! I’ve got his scalp!” shouted Potter with perfect rhetorical flourish. Or so we thought.

White Tie and Tails?—The 1936 Annual Message

2018-08-22T17:48:57

Tuxedo? Business suit? Dress up or dress sensibly? It’s not the Oscars . . . it’s the first evening Annual Message. American citizens are accustomed to seeing the President of the United States deliver prime-time addresses to a worldwide audience. However, when presidential night-time addresses were unique events, a previous generation of Members and their spouses were puzzled by what constituted proper fashion protocol at a speech that slowly emerged as a major policy—and social—statement.

Edition for Educators—State of the Union Address

2018-08-22T17:45:36

The formal basis for the State of the Union address is from the U.S. Constitution. Earlier State of the Union addresses (also called Annual Messages) included agency budget requests and general reports on the health of the economy. During the 20th century, Congress required more-specialized reports on these two aspects, separate from the State of the Union. Over time, as the message content changed, the focus of the State of the Union also changed.

What’s in a Name? Origins of the Chowder & Marching Club

2018-08-22T17:41:27

In an institution where legislative victories are often stitched together with shifting blocs, coalitions, and alliances, it isn’t surprising that most Members of Congress are joiners. For new Representatives particularly, membership in caucuses and other informal clubs and groups fills a yearning to belong, to swap legislative strategies freely, to learn the chamber’s folkways and norms, and, sometimes, simply to socialize.

The Original Snowmageddon

2018-08-22T17:30:05

You thought the wild wintry weather of 2010’s popularly dubbed Snowmageddon in the nation’s capital was bad? More than one hundred years ago, a record-setting blizzard blanketed Washington, D.C., grinding the city’s operations to a halt. But as even Speaker Thomas Brackett Reed of Maine huddled in his hotel away from the chill, the House of Representatives soldiered on.

Where’s Waldo?

2018-08-23T13:27:42

At some point in history … the House of Representatives lost a 93-year-old Chaplain. Despite prominent mentions in the Congressional Record, newspapers from across the country, and in texts such as Chaplains of the Federal Government (1856), the Reverend Daniel Waldo vanished from the official list of House Chaplains sometime during the last 150 years.

Edition for Educators – Happy Holidays!

2018-08-23T13:23:24

The Holidays are a time for family and traditions. In the House of Representatives, Decembers have included celebrations surrounding the Capitol Christmas Tree mixed with hectic legislative sessions to conclude business so Members could return to their families.

What's Buzzing in the Chamber?

2019-12-13T15:25:51

There’s a funny-looking push button on desks that sat in the House Chamber from 1877 to 1913. Why would a Member of Congress need to ring a doorbell at his desk?

Poinsett’s Popular Poinsettia

2018-08-23T13:16:37

Sure, he was a Representative from South Carolina, the first U.S. Minister to Mexico, and a Secretary of War. But what is Representative Joel Roberts Poinsett really famous for? This time of year, the answer might be found in a nearby display of holiday decorations.

Speaker Reed’s Movember Catfish

2018-08-23T14:07:56

Speaker Thomas Brackett Reed of Maine apparently celebrated Movember before it was cool.

Who Kicked the Dogs Out?

2018-08-23T14:01:41

Eccentric and quick-tempered, Virginia Representative John Randolph spent nearly half of his House service in a chamber that had quite literally gone to the dogs—his dogs, in fact. Randolph often brought his hunting dogs into the House Chamber, leaving them to lop and lounge about the floor during the session’s proceedings, much to the ire of some of his colleagues . . . especially a new Speaker of the House named Henry Clay of Kentucky.

War and Peace: Representative Ron Dellums and the House Armed Services Committee

2024-03-01T19:55:25

For many freshman Representatives, finding a way to stand out in the large and crowded House of Representatives poses a major challenge. Ron Dellums of California had no such problem. Elected to the House in 1970, at the age of 34, Dellums drew upon his national reputation as an outspoken anti-war and anti-establishment activist to challenge the institution and to secure a spot on the unlikeliest of panels: the House Armed Services Committee.

One Small Step . . . for Housekind

2018-08-23T13:52:18

In 1969, the Apollo 11 astronauts landed on the moon. As the nation marveled at this feat, the U.S. House of Representatives slowly prepared for its own launch: into the computer age. Months before the astronauts had touched down on the moon, Members of the House of Representatives descended on the Rayburn House Office Building to witness one of the three Capitol computers in action.

Edition for Educators – The Old Hall of the House of Representatives

2019-03-26T18:04:20

It’s a room that opened shortly after the Republic’s birth, was burned by marauding British forces during some of Washington’s darkest days, witnessed passage of the Missouri Compromise of 1820, and even hosted a backbencher Illinois Congressman named Abraham Lincoln. The Old Hall of the House of Representatives had a cherished place in House history even before it housed marble and bronze likenesses of a host of prominent Americans in the National Statuary Hall Collection.

Picture This: Lewis Hine’s Photographs of Child Labor

2018-08-23T13:41:05

Today, the phrase “a picture is worth a thousand words” is the kind of trite shortcut your English teacher deducts points from your essay for using. But at the turn of the century the visceral power of a photograph was a new concept.

Gained in Translation

2024-11-25T15:29:24

Just weeks after José Manuel Gallegos triumphed in a contested election in 1853, becoming New Mexico’s first Hispanic Territorial Delegate in the U.S. House, he found himself in a difficult quandary. Gallegos spoke no English and his request to use an interpreter on the floor failed to win his colleagues’ support. Yet, Gallegos’s early experience didn’t constitute the final word on the use of foreign languages on the House Floor. Indeed, for many reasons, Representatives have spoken in languages other than English. And, occasionally, they have done so in Spanish.

“All the World’s a Stage”

2018-08-23T13:30:11

Speaker of the House William Bankhead of Alabama loved the theater. In his youth, he briefly pursued an acting career, but he ultimately joined the family business: politics. Bankhead followed in the footsteps of his father, John, (a U.S. Representative and Senator) and his elder brother, John II, (a U.S. Senator). His daughter Tallulah, however, inherited his thespian gene and would eventually command center stage in Hollywood during its heyday.

“Can I Actually Close Down Congress?”

2021-09-08T15:34:20

Most people are well aware of what they were doing when they first learned about the attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001. But how many people know how Speaker of the House J. Dennis Hastert of Illinois, who at the time was the second in line in presidential succession, spent his day? In an interview with the Office of the Historian, Speaker Hastert shared his recollections and personal memories of 9/11.

Edition for Educators – Back to School

2018-08-23T13:24:08

Whether weighing in on the 1875 Civil Rights Bill or advocating Title IX of the 1972 Higher Education Act, Members of the House have been champions of American education.

Carnation Nation

2018-08-23T13:43:48

It was the opening day of Congress, and all the popular men had flowers on their desks. “Floral tributes,” enormous congratulatory bouquets, made their way into the House Chamber on the first day of each session of Congress from the 1870s until 1905. Pages and messengers staggered in with vase after vase.

Picking Sides: Loyalists in the Legislature

2019-07-23T21:18:36

When the Second Continental Congress convened in 1775, firebrands including Samuel Adams of Massachusetts and Patrick Henry of Virginia steered the 13 colonies of the United States toward a complete break with Great Britain. But that sentiment wasn’t universally shared a year earlier by members of the First Continental Congress. Grievances against British government policies were rife in the session which met in 1774, but some, notably Isaac Low of New York and Joseph Galloway of Pennsylvania, counseled against fully separating from the British Empire.

Weathering Washington by Watching the Weather

2018-08-23T13:36:42

Before there were smart phones equipped with weather apps, news anchors in front of green screens, or radar for tracking storms, Members of the House still wanted the latest weather forecasts. And for a century, the weather map in the Members' Retiring Room—just outside the House Chamber—became a social nexus for Members and House staff alike, many of whom wanted to know the conditions back home.

Edition for Educators – Congress in Wartime

2023-09-27T21:20:24

The Constitution grants Congress the power to declare war and maintain and fund the armed forces. From the harrowing night in 1814 when war arrived on the Capitol’s doorstep to the war on terror, the House and its Members have been key players in wartime decisions.

Room Service in the Clink: The Case of the Consumptive Witness

2019-05-08T21:01:01

The power to investigate is a central role played by Congress. House committees often call witnesses to testify in order to oversee the administration of government, to educate public opinion, and to inform the process of crafting new legislation. Occasionally, when the House weighs contempt-of-Congress charges against uncooperative witnesses, the Historian’s Office receives the question: where have contumacious witnesses, placed in the custody of the Sergeant at Arms, been imprisoned?

Tie a Yellow Ribbon

2021-09-08T15:37:08

Tony Orlando—the force behind a House tradition? The inspiration for the tradition was not his harmonious backup singers or his luxuriant mustache, but his 1973 hit recording, “Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree.” From those pop music origins grew the tradition of wearing a colored ribbon to mark major events, a practice that was taken up by the House during joint sessions and meetings of Congress.

“The City Scavenger Butters Your Bread”

2018-08-22T20:35:57

What piece of legislation best illustrates the tensions facing Congress when it attempts to regulate the diverse U.S. economy? One about butter: the Oleomargarine Act of 1886.

Smoke If You’ve Got ‘Em

2018-08-22T20:32:12

Hamilton Fish—that doesn’t sound like a great name for a cigar. But for the average smoker a century ago, the name was synonymous with power and position.

Good Vibrations: In Defense of the Beach Boys

2021-01-27T16:14:50

The nation’s birthday is an event that annually unites Americans from all walks of life. But when a Cabinet Secretary tried to ban one of the most beloved rock groups of all time from playing a July Fourth concert on the National Mall in 1983, Members of the people’s House mounted a vigorous—and humorous—defense of the Beach Boys’ right to perform.

Getting a Foot in the (Chamber) Door

2018-08-22T20:22:29

When newly elected Resident Commissioner Federico Degetau of Puerto Rico, the first Member of Congress from the island territory, began his service in the 57th Congress (1901–1903), the media treated him with attentive curiosity. But despite the fanfare and expression of goodwill, Degetau remained unwelcome in the one place that served as the legislature’s nerve center: the House Floor.

Out of the Blue: UFOs and the Freedom of Information Act

2018-08-22T20:17:32

The existence of UFOs may seem like the exclusive domain of science fiction, but as Representative John Moss of California laid the groundwork for legislation that eventually became the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) in 1966, he didn’t discriminate in his pursuit to open as much government information as possible to the public.

“You Start It and You Like the Work, and You Just Keep On”

2018-08-22T19:05:09

To date, 259 Members have served 30 years or more in the U.S. Congress, constituting just two percent of the total historic membership. Yet in an institution where long service often yields greater power, many of these Members became some of the House’s most famous and influential people.

“A Bevy of Ladies”

2019-12-13T15:17:46

Today, Capitol police officers direct some visitors in the House Chamber through a door marked “Ladies’ Gallery.” Men and women sit there, and always have. So why call it the Ladies’ Gallery?

The Most Kissed Man in America

2026-05-04T20:26:17

On June 3, 1898, in the middle of the Spanish-American War, Lieutenant Richmond Pearson Hobson sailed the U.S. collier Merrimac into Santiago Harbor with a hand-picked skeleton crew. Hobson schemed to sink his vessel at the entrance to the Cuban bay, trapping the Spanish fleet. Though he failed to blockade the harbor, Hobson would soon become a national celebrity for another kind of mission—one ideally suited for the handsome young man.

The Life and Times of a Campaign Button

2020-09-28T15:56:52

Each election cycle, campaign buttons bloom on voters’ lapels like flowers in spring. These bright badges come in all shapes, sizes, and colors, and boast catchy slogans such as “We Love Lindy.” Campaign buttons made their debut on the trail in the late 1890s with the advent of a new material called celluloid.

“His Own Little Club”

2018-08-22T16:30:42

Before Lyndon Baines Johnson rose through the political ranks as a Member of the House and Senate (and later Vice President and President of the United States), the young, congressional secretary to Congressman Richard Kleberg of Texas set his sights on a smaller, lesser-known organization: the Little Congress.

The Not-So-Lonesome West

2019-12-13T15:08:46

For a House committee, commissioning paintings during the post-Civil War era involved more than matching colors with the furniture. When the House Committee on Indian Affairs hired artist and Army officer Seth Eastman in 1867 to produce nine paintings for their hearing room, his task was not only to decorate their space, but to project an ideology through images.

Skip the Record and Go Straight to the Journal

2018-08-22T20:13:47

Researchers often ignore the House Journal in favor of its flashier cousin, the Congressional Record. If laws were sausages, the Congressional Record would report the grinding process of making them. The House Journal by contrast has—with a few minor formatting adjustments—remained a constant over the span of House history, as a simple recapitulation of House actions as required by the Constitution.

What Killed the Political Ribbon?

2020-09-28T15:58:37

Ribbons that declared "The Winner." Ribbons for the "Peter J. Dooling Association." Ribbons mourning a dead Speaker of the House. Once, they were all the rage. Then, in the 1890s, a single innovation changed everything. Political ribbons went from reigning supreme as the most portable, wearable, and popular campaign decoration to being a deposed monarch of politicking, exiled to conventions and party dinners. What happened?

Were There Any Witnesses? Segregation in the House Visitors’ Gallery

2025-12-04T19:08:17

Were African Americans in attendance to witness the legislative debates that shaped their freedom? Well, yes and no. The nation barred them from citizenship and service as Members of Congress until the adoption of the 14th Amendment in 1868, but barring African Americans, slave or free, from the Capitol has a murkier history.

30,000 Letters or Bust: Ansel Wold’s 1928 mission

2018-08-22T18:19:56

Over the course of three years in the mid-1920s, the clerk of the Joint Committee on Printing, Ansel Wold, had a mission: find Representative Victor Berger's middle name and the name of the town in which Mr. Berger settled upon his arrival to the U.S. in the 1870s. And Wold needed to find this information fast, in time to publish the 1928 edition of the Biographical Directory of the American Congress.

Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend

2018-08-22T18:12:59

When Jessie Wilson, daughter of President Woodrow Wilson, became engaged to Francis Bowes Sayre in 1913, Washington was aflutter with excitement. Washington society had not had such an occasion to anticipate since the marriage of Alice Roosevelt to Nicholas Longworth set extravagant expectations for what a Washington wedding could be. In the early 20th century, it was common practice for the president’s cabinet, world leaders, diplomats, and Members of Congress to present often lavish gifts to the daughter of the president on the occasion of her marriage.

From Averting Death to Common House Practice: The Committee of the Whole

2018-08-22T18:04:59

Parliamentary procedure itself rarely generates heated discussion, but that's mainly because the drama that created the precedent has long passed. What today is dry and routine often was, at one point, highly contentious.

“Headquarters of Tobacco-Tinctured Saliva”

2018-08-22T17:57:58

For generations, chewing tobacco was immensely popular in the House of Representatives. Members of Congress chewed with gusto, and spat tobacco juice with equal enthusiasm. Receptacles for tobacco spittle—spittoons—were a common sight in the Capitol from at least the 1830s.

Discovering a Page’s Place in the “Second American Revolution”

2018-08-22T17:51:11

During the Reconstruction Era, African Americans gained elective office and the U.S. House of Representatives was forever changed. Americans know the narrative that describes Reconstruction as the “Second American Revolution”—one in which basic political and citizenship rights were conferred upon freed slaves (at least the men). Congressional Reconstruction imposed in the South also changed the face of the membership of the House. Until recently, however, we knew very little about the changes that Reconstruction wrought at the staff level in the House.

“As Large as Life”: Lafayette's Portrait

2018-08-22T17:44:37

What becomes a military legend most? For the Marquis de Lafayette, dashing hero of the American Revolution, the portrait now in the House Chamber was just the thing. Arriving from France in 1824, it was a huge hit across the nation. Becoming the most famous image of Lafayette during his wide-ranging tour of the United States that same year, the portrait appeared on posters, memorabilia, and even on currency.

Putting One Over on Teddy

2018-08-22T17:37:03

When Woodrow Wilson became President a century ago, he smashed an old tradition. Wilson had long suspected that the President could act as a prime minister for Congress, formulating party program and directing party strategy. The secret to this kind of leadership was the use of oratorical power to convince others of what was in the public interest. Wilson intended to replace written presidential messages with a direct address to a joint session, expecting this would seize the imagination of the country, give him the momentum to enact his policies, and set a new tone for the administration.

Mr. Sam’s House

2018-08-22T17:31:35

On January 3, 1949, only a few years after America’s triumph in World War II, Representatives gathered in the House Chamber for the opening day of the 81st Congress (1949–1951). On a day full of tradition and fanfare, the families of many Members packed the galleries and the House Floor to watch the proceedings.

“This Greater than Roman Forum”—The Wartime 38th Congress

2018-08-22T16:58:33

It had been three weeks since President Abraham Lincoln visited the rolling hills of the Gettysburg battlefield and delivered his now famous address, intoning "that government of the people by the people for the people shall not perish from the earth." At the time, no one could have predicted that the war would rage for another year and a half. But that December, few Americans not named Lincoln likely felt the weight of their responsibilities more than the men who had assembled in the U.S. House of Representatives for the opening of the 38th Congress (1863–1865). And few Members of the House seemed to feel the day's pressure more than Schuyler Colfax of Indiana who had just been elected Speaker.

How Loud Is a Gavel?

2023-02-13T20:22:17

The commanding rap of a gavel punctuates each meeting of the House of Representatives. House gavels have always been practical wooden mallets, perfect for grabbing the attention of a loud, large group of legislators. But how loud is a gavel in the House?

Don’t Go Back to Danville: Joe Cannon’s Hidden Trunk

2018-08-22T16:40:07

Without evidence, such as records, important pieces of information are lost to history. How many times have you read or listened to a fascinating story that started with the words, “Recently discovered records revealed that . . . ”? Although the Antiques Roadshow–style discovery of a rare collection of documents in a dumpster is unusual, occasionally great finds are made in dark, dusty corners of long-forgotten spaces.

Weekend at Woodrow’s

2021-09-14T17:03:22

Early in the afternoon on Saturday, July 20, 1912, more than 100 Members of the U.S. House of Representatives, all of them Democrats, got off the train in Sea Girt, New Jersey, and walked down the dusty road toward Woodrow Wilson’s summer cottage. Wilson had recently accepted the Democratic presidential nomination, and he’d been entertaining political visits at his seaside home ever since.