Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/884685
57 THE CAPITOL DOME On 18 July 2017 the United States Capitol Historical Society hosted an evening reception and educational program about the restoration and conservation of the Brumidi Corridors of the United States Capitol. The breathtaking rooms and corridors located on the first floor of the Senate wing of the Capitol were decorated in the style of Raphael's Loggia in the Vatican by Con- stantino Brumidi and his team of artists between 1856 and 1878. Combining the ancient style with uniquely North American elements and icons, Brumidi and his team created a beautifully symbolic work in the pas- sages of the Capitol. Over more than 150 years, damage, deterioration, and layers of unfortunate over painting dimmed and then obscured the brilliance of the original design. These degradations shifted the light and elegant palette to dark and dingy and covered the highly-skilled work of the original painters. Beginning in 1992, Christiana Cunningham-Adams led a team of highly-trained pro- fessionals in painstakingly removing the layers of over- paint, at times with surgical scalpels, and stabilizing damaged areas of the walls. Guests at the program gathered in the Lyndon B. John- son Room, also decorated by Brumidi, just beyond the Senate floor. Following remarks from Chairman of the USCHS Board of Trustees Donald G. Carlson, Senator Patrick Leahy (VT), Deputy Architect of the Capitol Christine Merdon, and USCHS President Ronald Sarasin, the group embarked on a guided tour of the corridors. Along the tour route guests met and learned from Amy Elizabeth Burton, assistant curator for the sec- retary of the Senate; Dr. Michele Cohen, curator for the architect of the capitol; Cunningham-Adams, chief conservator on the project, who discussed how she and her team carefully restored and retouched the corri- dors to bring them back in line with Brumidi's vision; Tom Fontana, director of communications and special events for the Capitol Visitor Center; and Dr. Barbara Wolanin, curator emerita for the architect of the capitol. The evening's Brumidi corridor presenters, from left: Burton, Cunningham-Adams, Fontana, Wolanin, and Cohen BOTH: K ATIE GARLOCK/PORTR AITIONS USCHS Member Event: The Brumidi Corridors Rediscovered Society staff and volunteers prepare to lead the guided tours. struction, Thaddeus Stevens, Frederick Douglass, the 14th amendment, citizenship issues, and the process of deciding how to depict Reconstruction at the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Many of these talks, including Foner's, have been broadcast on C-SPAN's American History TV and can be found by searching "Capitol Historical Society" at www.c-span.org. Looking ahead, the Society is planning a robust fall series of lunchtime lectures on topics ranging across Capitol and DC history, art, and monuments. Visit uschs.org for more information or to pre-register!