The Capitol Dome

2018 Dome 55.1

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53 THE CAPITOL DOME T he U.S. Capitol Historical Society kicked off 2018 with a big helping of lunchtime lectures. Despite inclement weather and other scheduling obstacles, we welcomed speakers and audiences who discussed an exciting range of topics. Several of the lectures are now available online through C-SPAN. In January, James Lancel McElhinney* previewed his article on page 16 of this issue with a discussion of his research on Gen. Seth Eastman. February brought another Capitol Dome/lunchtime lecture connection when Matthew Costello, senior historian at the White House Historical Association, elaborated on his 2017 article on the debates surrounding the idea of a Capitol tomb for George Washington. USCHS commemorated Black History Month with A J Aiséirithe's lecture on Frederick Douglass. Her talk included explorations of Douglass' evolving views after the Civil War as well as some of the positions he held or work he did while living in Washington, D.C. We also commemorated Women's History Month in March, with Jane Hudiburg* discussing the congres- sional and activist career of Jeannette Rankin, the first woman elected to Congress. She is famously the only Member of Congress to vote against U.S. participation in both world wars. Two additional lectures took place in March. Mar- cie Sims covered the history of congressional Pages; many former Pages attended her book talk, co-pre- sented with the U.S. Capitol Page Alumni Association, and shared stories from their time serving in the Capi- tol. One of our Capitol Committee members, Express Scripts, graciously hosted the lecture in their meeting room. Elise Friedland, a former Capitol Fellow, shared an early look at her research on Constantino Brumidi's work in the Capitol's S-127 committee room. Her work centers on finding the sources, especially Pompeiian, of Brumidi's designs for this space. New lunchtime lectures are being planned for 2019! Check in at uschs.org for updates as they become avail- able. If you are unable to attend a lecture, follow along on Twitter (@USCapHis and #historytalk) for live tweets. *Speakers marked with an asterisk were recorded by C-SPAN; their talks are available on c-span.org. Search for "Capitol Historical Society" and the speak- er's last name to find the recording. LUNCHTIME LECTURES Jane Hudiburg Elise Friedland's enthusiasm for her topic spilled into the audience, members of which continued to examine some of Friedland's images after the talk. Some of the Page alumni who attended Marcie Sims's (center, in blue) talk on March 7. Jerry Papazian, left, introduced Sims at the event on behalf of the U.S. Capitol Page Alumni Association.

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