Art and Artifacts
About this object Throughout the early 19th century the Constantine desk was the sum total of a Member's work space in the Capitol.
The Constantine Desk and Chair
About this object Simple chairs on casters were upholstered in long-wearing horsehair.
Congress chose a New York cabinetmaker named Thomas Constantine. A Constantine desk and chair in the House Collection serve as examples of the simple, well-made mahogany furniture that the Members used in the Old Hall of the House from 1819 until furniture was made for the new Chamber in 1857.
The desk in the House Collection was used by one-term Representative Thomas Hart Benton of Missouri. Benton went on to serve 30 years in the Senate. He sat in this single-drawer version of the Constantine desk, in the front row, during the 33rd Congress (1853–1855). It has a bowed hexagonal shape to allow for the curved rows of seating in the Old Hall. All of the Members’ desks had unusual shapes like this example, but others had two or three drawers. Benton’s desk was sold in an 1858 auction—along with all the other outdated Capitol furniture—for $6.25. It was acquired by the American Antiquarian Society in 1886, who returned the desk to the Capitol as a gift in 1981.
The matching chair has a similar no-nonsense design. In addition to being made of fine mahogany without “superfluous ornament,” the original order for the chairs specified that they were to be straight-backed, with splay feet in back, turned legs in front, on brass castors, with “the bottoms and backs of the chairs . . . stuffed with hair and covered with the best hair cloth.” Horse hair stuffing and upholstery were the material of choice by the 18th century. Both durable and shiny, the upholstery looked attractive and stood up to hard use.
Classically Styled Sculptures
About this object On the right, Liberty and the Eagle, can be seen in its original context above the Speaker's rostrum in this 1853 print of the Old Hall of the House (left).
The allegorical group Liberty and the Eagle by Enrico Causici, perched high above the rostrum, serves as a snapshot of symbols incorporated into the arts during the federal period. Two features—a female figure of Liberty, here holding a scroll that represents the Constitution, and the national bird, the bald eagle—gained traction as decorative features and remain part of the American visual vocabulary. Snakes were traditionally a symbol of wisdom, and the one depicted in this group, wrapped around a fluted, bundle-like column representing unity, made for a complex visual reference, which eventually faded from the national symbolic lexicon. White marble was difficult to obtain in the early 19th century, so the original plaster model was deemed sufficient for the long term, and it remains in place today.
About this object The Car of History clock appears in a scenic postcard from around 1920, above the north door of Statuary Hall.
A smaller block of marble, though, was obtained for The Car of History clock, above the north door of the Old Hall. Carved by Carlo Franzoni in 1819, the sculpture depicts Clio, the Greek Muse of history, in a winged chariot with a clock face on its wheel. The chariot rides through the heavens—indicated by the domed base, carved with signs of the zodiac—whilst Clio makes note of the historical events unfolding in the Chamber beneath her. A profile of George Washington appears on the front of the vehicle, facing out toward the room, to make clear the national origin of the Muse’s inspiration.