Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1052459
33. H.R.J. Res. 224, 76th Cong. (1939). 34. S.J. Res. 87, 76th Cong. (1939). 35. Pub. L. No. 11, 76th Cong. (1939). 36. Kent Keller to William Bankhead, 19 May 1939, Joint Committee Book #1; "Contract with Howard Chandler Christy," 24 Jul. 1939 (Office of the Architect of the Capitol). 37. HCC to Collette Ramsey, 10 Oct. 1939, pri- vate collection as of 2007 ("I've been here in Wash- ington since first of September working hard on the big painting"); "Art," Newsweek, 17 Jun. 1940, p. 49; EFM, pp. 184, 194–200. 38. HCC to Collette Ramsey, 19 Feb. 1940, private collection as of 2007 (referencing a wedding portrait for Joseph Davies's daughter, Emlen). In my research, I found it interesting that HCC had quite a bit of time to spare and was painting portraits and traveling to and from New York at times during the period he was working on the painting. Before my research, I was under the mistaken impression that HCC was working five days a week for eight months straight on the painting, primarily because of the sparse newspaper reports noting the duration of his work, and because many had incorrectly assumed that he started work on the painting in late September 1939 and continued up until the day the painting was unveiled—which would mean it would be a wet painting at the time of the unveiling! Elise Ford claimed that it only took him seven months. Through his correspondence with one of his models, Collette Ramsey (whom I interviewed in 2007), I was able to learn specifically when he started (Sept. 1), and what he did while he was working on it. 39. "Senator Barkley Accepts $30,000 Can- vas for Capitol," Washington Post, 30 May 1940; "Colossal Christy Painting Puts Capitol Architect in Quandary,"Washington Post, 31 May 1940. 40. "Work of Moving Two Big Paintings at Capitol Starts," Washington Star, 9 Sept. 1941. 41. See, e.g., Head, An Affair with Beauty, p. 94; HCC is the model for his illustration Why He Missed the Aeroplane. 42. According to Holly Longuski, HCC's purported daughter, and noted art conservator James Hamm, Ben Franklin's face was modeled upon that of HCC's; EFM, p. 162 ("While he was painting the head of Franklin . . . [a] man called out, 'I believe Old Ben is right here in this room helping you on this—he fairly lives.' They all thought it was inspired.") IMAGE CREDITS: Fig. 1. Collette Ramsey Baker Fig. 2. Collection of the U.S. House of Representatives Fig. 3. Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, photograph by Harris & Ewing, [LC-DIG-hec-39690] Fig. 4. Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives Fig. 5. Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, [LC-USZC4-5844] Fig. 6. Author Fig. 7. Author Fig. 8. Author Fig. 9. Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, Arnold Genthe Collection: Negatives and Transparencies, [LC- G432-2253] Fig. 10. Collection of the U.S. House of Representatives Fig. 11. Author Fig. 12. Author Fig. 13. Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, photograph by Harris & Ewing, [LC-DIG-hec-22354] Fig. 14. Courtesy of Holly Longuski Fig. 15. Collection of the U.S. House of Representatives 15 THE CAPITOL DOME