A new publication prepared by the Architect of the Capitol offers a richly illustrated, annotated edition of the classic first major book on the architecture and art of the United States Capitol.
History of the United States Capitol was published in two volumes by the U.S. Government Printing Office in 1900 and 1903, after twelve years of preparation by architect Glenn Brown. Its beautifully designed volumes, long treasured by those interested in the history of the Capitol, provide important information about the history of the building and its appearance at the turn of the twentieth century. A pioneering work of architectural scholarship, based on exhaustive research into documents and architectural drawings, it was called "the handsomest book ever issued by the government."
The new edition, Glenn Brown’s History of the United States Capitol, sets the original publication in context with an introductory essay on Glenn Brown by Dr. William Bushong. Brown’s role in the stories of the Capitol and the city of Washington is described. Brown’s original text and tables have been published unchanged. Extensive annotations provide information about Brown’s sources and about twentieth-century recent publications and scholarly perspectives.
The new one-volume edition is printed in the four-color process on high-quality paper, with a gold-stamped cover that echoes the original design. Among the most valuable elements of Brown’s works are its photographic plates of the Capitol’s exterior and interior, the grounds, works of art, and many architectural drawings and floor plans. Dr. Bushong discovered that these were taken by the pioneering woman photographer Frances Benjamin Johnston. The plates were scanned at high resolution for reproduction in the new volume; they are distinguished by a special toned varnish. Many of the drawings that Brown published are preserved in the records of the Architect of the Capitol; where possible, the drawings have been printed in color, most for the first time. Great care was taken to capture the subtle colors of the ink-and-watercolor originals. New color photographs of paintings and prints and some comparative interior views are also included, and additions to Brown’s captions provide current information about current locations of works of art.
The original History of the United States Capitol was crafted by Brown, secretary of the American Institute of Architects, to support two of his missions. One was to promote the restoration of the capital city’s original plan along the lines of Pierre L’Enfant’s 1791 design. The other was to bring attention to the importance of having only the best American architects and artists work on the federal buildings in the capital. Through this publication and his work with the McMillan Commission and the American Institute of Architects, Brown had a major effect on the appearance of the monumental spaces of Washington, D.C.
The new edition was prepared for the 108th Congress by the Architect of the Capitol (AOC). Dr. Bushong’s research for his dissertation on Glenn Brown was first supported by the United States Capitol Historical Society Fellowship program managed by the AOC Curator’s Office. The preparation of the book was supported by the United States Capitol Preservation Commission as to commemorate the bicentennial of the U.S. Capitol. Staff of the AOC Curator Division, including the Photography Branch and the Records Management and Archives Branch, and the AOC Architectural Historian contributed content and editorial review and provided most of the color plates. The design and printing oversight were done by the Government Printing Office.
This new annotated edition will be of interest to historians, architects, teachers, students, and scholars as well as to those who work on or visit Capitol Hill. The book will be available for sale to the public in the Capitol Visitor Center and from the Government Printing Office, U.S. Senate Gift Shop, and U.S. Capitol Historical Society. It is also viewable on the Government Printing Office Web site.
