Steam Powered Amphibious Boat, 1804
In 1802 American inventor Oliver Evans developed a high-pressure steam engine that produced more power and weighed less than earlier models.
Architect of the Capitol employees are responsible for the care and preservation of more than 300 works of art, architectural elements, landscape features and more.
Browse our pieces below or learn more about the artists, collections and subjects.
Stephen Austin Statue
This statue of Stephen Austin was given to the National Statuary Hall Collection by Texas in 1905.
Suleiman, Relief Portrait
Suleiman (1494-1566) Sultan of the Ottoman Empire. Reformed and improved civil and military codes; united a group of unstable territories into an empire.
Surrender of Cornwallis
General George Washington, on horseback, receives the sword of surrender from Major General O'Hare, who represented Lord Cornwallis after his defeat at Yorktown, the last battle of the American Revolution. (1781)
Surrender of General Burgoyne
The event shown in this painting is the surrender of British General John Burgoyne at Saratoga, New York on October 17, 1777.
Surrender of Lord Cornwallis
The painting Surrender of Lord Cornwallis by John Trumbull is on display in the Rotunda of the US Capitol. The subject of this painting is the surrender of the British army at Yorktown, Virginia, in 1781, which ended the last major campaign of the Revolutionary War.
Telegraph Centennial Plaque
On May 24, 1844, in the Old Supreme Court Room, a message was sent by the first electro-magnetic telegraph instrument.
The Albany Congress, 1754
In 1754 the British government asked colonial representatives to meet in Albany, New York, to develop a treaty with Native Americans and plan the defense of the colonies against France.
The Birth of Aviation
The first flight at Kitty Hawk (December 17, 1903) is depicted, with Orville Wright in the Flyer, which has just left the ground, and Wilbur running alongside to steady the wing. In the background stand Leonardo da Vinci, Samuel Pierpont Langley, and Octave Chanute; each holds a model of his earlier design for a flying machine. An eagle with an olive branch in its talons emphasizes this flight as a great American achievement and closes this last scene. (1903)
The Constitutional Convention, 1787
Following the Revolutionary War, the new American government was first organized under the Articles of Confederation, but that document gave the federal government too little authority to be effect
The Declaration of Independence, 1776
In June 1776 five delegates to the Second Continental Congress drafted the Declaration of Independence.