Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/99748
This scene of the Mayflower Compact, 1620, illustrates how Cox's design incorporated decorative elements, flanking vignettes, and historical quotations into his overall scheme. He composed "cartoons"— detailed sketches—in his studio of each component of the mural. The tracings were temporarily affixed to canvas that had been hung on the walls, and were then pounced with powdered charcoal to leave an outline of the drawing on the canvas. Using the lines ARCHITECT OF THE CAPITOL as a guide the painting was then completed in oils by Cox and his wing. For this project Cox chose as his associates Cliff Young and John Charles subject the growth of American democracy and free enterprise from the Mayflower Roach. The Society purchased special Compact to women's suffrage. Great Experiment Hall, as the mural scaffolding which was erected by personnel of the Architect of the Capitol. was named, consisted of 16 main panels: Working atop the scaffolding, often late at Mayflower Compact 1620, Albany night to avoid interfering with and being Congress 1754, Continental Congress interrupted by the crowds in the Capitol, 1774, Declaration of Independence 1776, the artists completed their time- Constitutional Convention 1787, First consuming task between February 14, Federal Congress 1789, Washington's Inauguration 1789, Washington's Farewell 1973 and July 22, 1974. Address 1796, Monroe Doctrine 1823, Lincoln's Second Inaugural 1865, SmithREAT sonian Institution 1855, Library of XPERIMENT ALL Congress 1897, Steam Powered THE SUCCESS OF THE HALL of Capitols Amphibious Boat 1804, Iron Foundry ca. mural convinced the Society to continue 1850, Theodore Roosevelt ca. 1904, and the mural project. The Daughters of Women's Suffrage Parade 1917. the American Revolution generously A major component of both the Hall of contributed $150,000 toward a second Capitols and Great Experiment Hall was series of murals, with work beginning in the inclusion of historical quotations in the 1976, as a contribution to the Bicentennial overall scheme. Seven carefully chosen of the American Revolution. These murals quotations were added to the Hall of were slated for the central east-west Capitols and 16 were selected for Great corridor of the ground floor of the House Experiment Hall. President Schwengel was G E WINTER 2013 H largely responsible for the addition of these inscriptions to exemplify what he referred to as "the companionship of art and literature." Among the quotations are such wellknown sayings as Daniel Webster's "Liberty and union, one and inseparable," as well as lesser known passages such as William Henry Harrison's "The only legitimate right to govern is an express grant of power from the governed." Allyn Cox turned 80 as the second phase of the mural project began in 1976. He realized that his age might prevent him from completing the mural. Two years into this phase of the project he told a reporter, "I expect it will take six to eight years to finish the whole project. I have a feeling that if it is completed it will probably be by someone else." Cox again chose Cliff Young as the assistant whom he believed could carry on the project if necessary. Young was a talented muralist and teacher in his own right who had previously completed a mural project after the original artist had died. Cox once referred to Young as "the most perfect assistant anyone ever had." THE CAPITOL DOME 29