The Capitol Dome

31 THE CAPITOL DOME THE SPEAKER'S OFFICE IN SUMMER DRESS (1861), 36" x 48" oil on canvas I am fascinated by the decorative schemes of the Capitol in the nineteenth century, especially how they changed from winter to summer with the addition of slip covers and changes of drapes and floor coverings. This painting shows two of the Union soldiers billeted in the Capitol during the Civil War—country boys amazed by the luxury of the Speakers Office into which they have strayed. All the images accompanying this article are paintings by Peter Waddell. The U.S. Capitol Historical Society's Chief Historian William diGiacomantonio interviewed Peter Waddell on 16 September 2016, in the studio he occupies as Artist-in-Residence at Tudor Place, in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, DC. An Artist's Eye for History: Peter Waddell William diGiacomantonio: So my first question has to be: why? Why did you initially feel drawn to history painting, out of all the different genres of painting you could have gone into? Peter Waddell: I would say because it's difficult. That would be one reason. There is something about the power of being able to recreate the past that's irresistible. The only other option would be to make movies, which I've also done. But movie making is incredible complex and expensive. Whereas paint- ing compared with movie making is very simple and straight- forward although still complex. WdG: Where did this desire to "recreate the past" come from? PW: When I was a kid I used to look around and think, what were things like before? That was a constant question and it still is. It wasn't history so much that I was interested in; it was archaeology and things connected with history. I like old stuff. New Zealand was not like the United States. It was not

• Cover