Brumidi Corridors
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TheBrumidi Corridorsare thevaulted,ornately decorated corridors on the first floor of theSenatewing in theUnited States Capitol.
Background and artist[edit]
They are named forConstantino Brumidi,who designed themurals,although assistants and other artists are responsible for many of the details. Brumidi was anItalian artistof Greek descent who was born inRomein 1805, worked for three years in theVaticanunderPope Gregory XVI,and served severalaristocratsas an artist forpalacesandvillas,including the princeTorlonia.Brumidiemigrated to the United Statesin 1852, and, after proving his skill infrescos1855, he spent much of the next 25 years until his death in 1880 working in the Capitol, painting thefriezeofAmerican historyandThe Apotheosis of Washingtonin theRotundaas well as the Brumidi Corridors.
Construction and design[edit]
The Brumidi Corridors were part of the new wing constructed underArchitect of the CapitolThomas U. Walterbetween 1852 and 1859. Brumidi began making designs for the corridors in 1856. The decorative painting of thewallsandceilingsof the main corridors was carried out primarily between 1857 and 1859. Brumidi added details in the 1860s and frescoed thelunettesover thedoorwaysin the 1870s. Although Walter had envisioned plain-colored walls hung withoil paintings,CaptainMontgomery C. Meigs,Superintendent of Construction, directed Brumidi to carry out an elaborate decorative scheme based onRaphael'sLoggia in the Vatican.Brumidi's classical training in Rome gave him a thorough understanding ofancient Roman,Renaissance,andBaroquestyles, symbols, and techniques of wall painting.
Brumidi created the overall design for the corridors and directed its execution by artists of many nationalities. His immediate assistants includedJoseph Rakemann,Albert Peruchi,andLudwig Odense.AnEnglish artist,James Leslie, painted parts of the walls and ceilings of the corridors, including some of the birds and animals copied from specimens borrowed from theSmithsonian Institution.Leslie also probably painted thetrophiesof musical, marine, agricultural, and military implements at the intersection of the north and west corridors and possibly themonochromelunettes of trophies near therefectory.The foreman of the decorative painters was Emmerich Carstens.
A variety of techniques were employed in the corridors. Brumidi created the portraits and historical orallegorical scenesin the semicircular lunettes over the doorways in the difficult true fresco technique. The wall decorations were painted by decorative painters in lime-wash fresco; Brumidi himself probably painted the portraits. The ceilings were painted inwater-solubletempera,which was then called "distemper." Within the framework of panels framed byillusionisticmoldingsare symmetrical designs of scrolling vines, vases, and mythological figures. Into these classical motifs Brumidi integrated American flora and fauna. On the intricately decorated walls can be seen an amazing variety ofclassical gods and goddesses;birds of a hundred different species; rodents, includingchipmunks,squirrels,andmice;insectsandreptiles;andflowersandfruits.On the ceilings are landscapes and agricultural implements interspersed among the colorful framework of ornament. The painters of the scenic landscapes and theimpressionist-style oval landscapes in the ceiling are not documented.
The subjects of Brumidi's lunettes over the doorways reflect the functions of the committees that met in the rooms between 1873 and 1878 when they were painted. At the end of the west corridor, over the door to S-131, isAuthority Consults the Written Law(39k), whose subject related to theSenate Committee on the Revision of Lawsassigned to the room.Columbus and the Indian Maiden(41k) andBartolomé de Las Casas(40k), who was called the "Apostle of the Indians," were painted over the doors of theSenate Committee on Indian Affairs(S-132 and S-133). Above the presentSenate Appropriations Committeeroom (S-128), originally occupied by theMilitary Affairs Committee,isBellona,the Romanwar-goddess(58k). In the ceiling at the north end of the corridor the signs of theZodiacappear on fields of blue. Along the walls, Brumidi painted monochrome profile portraits of famous early Americans (John Hancock,Francis Hopkinson,Robert Livingston,Roger Sherman,John Jay,Charles Thomson,Charles Carroll of Carrollton,andRobert Morris) set in medallions to resemblereliefscarved in stone.
Decorations in the north corridor include colorfulparrotsand trophies on the walls near the elevator. Near the stairways at either end of the corridor are pilasters decorated with squirrels and mice. Monochrome medallion portraits ofRevolutionary Warleaders (Daniel Morgan,Jonathan Trumbull,Horatio Gates,Israel Putnam,Thomas Mifflin,Silas Deane,Richard Montgomery,Joseph Warren,Thomas Jefferson,andBenjamin Franklin) are painted along the walls. Modern inventions, such as the airplane, were painted on the ceiling in the early twentieth century. Over S-124, which was then used by theSenate Committee on Territories,Brumidi paintedThe Cession of Louisiana(45k), depicting the meeting of Robert Livingston,James Monroe,and theFrançois Barbé-Marboisin 1803. In this area abronzebustofCordell Hulland amarbleone of Constantino Brumidi byJimilu Mason,dedicated in 1967, are displayed.
The north entrance retains its original tempera ceiling painted byEmmerich Carstensin 1875; Brumidi painted the frescoed portraits of juristsJusticeJoseph StoryandChancellorJames Kent,and the imitation sculpture bust ofChancellor Robert R. Livingston,in 1878. The area below is decorated with birds; medallions hold scenes of animals and landscapes. The profile portraits ofAndrew Jackson,Henry Clay,Daniel Webster,and an Adams, perhapsJohn Quincy Adams,are different in style and inferior in quality; they are thought to date from the turn of the century. Opposite the entry is a painting of theUSSConstitutioncopied from a 1924lithograph.
At the east end of the north corridor, over S-118, then occupied by the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Brumidi paintedThe Signing of the First Treaty of Peace with Great Britain(44k). His depiction of the 1782 event showsJohn Adams,Benjamin Franklin,John Jay,Henry Laurens,and the British representativeRichard Oswaldand was based on an unfinished sketch byBenjamin West.On the ceiling plows and other agricultural implements are depicted.
The Committee on Patents occupied the room on the east end of the north corridor, now S-116. For the area known as thePatent Corridor,Brumidi created frescoed lunettes with three important inventors:John Fitch(47k) (working on hissteamboatmodel),Benjamin Franklin(40k), andRobert Fulton(18k). (Appropriately, Franklin appears over the door of the room then assigned to theCommittee on Post Offices and Post Roads.) On the ceiling are trophies of the arts and sciences. In this area a bronze bust of Cordell Hull and a marble one of Constantino Brumidi byJimilu Mason,dedicated in 1967, are displayed.
Along the main north–south corridor are 14 oval medallions of landscapes, probably by one of the German decorative painters. In the south corridor eight medallions of animal groups alternate with repeated red, white, and blue shields. In the area leading to the refectory is an original tempera ceiling with illusionistic carved eagles and coffers and trophies of military equipment.
Visitors to the Capitol have long been puzzled by the many blank ovals in the corridors. Although intended for pictures, these were left empty when the corridors were being painted in 1858 and 1859 because of restrictions by Congress, which was considering having all fine art in the Capitol approved by an art commission. In the 1870s, Brumidi was hired to paint scenes in many of the empty spaces, but his progress was limited by lack of time and funds.
Some of the blank areas in the north corridor have been filled by later artists. Around 1930, an unknown artist portrayed theWright Flyer,theWright Brothers' airplane, andCharles Lindbergh'sSpirit of St. Louis.In 1975,Allyn Coxdepicted theMoon landing.The most recent addition to the corridor is the scene depicting theSpace ShuttleChallengermission crew, painted by Charles Schmidt in 1987. These last two scenes were painted oncanvasand then applied to the wall.
The Brumidi Corridors have always been a high-traffic area and, thus, vulnerable to damage; they were first repaired by Brumidi as early as 1861. In 1897, the backgrounds of the wall decorations were completely repainted in oil byWilliam H. Duckstein.Aside from constant repainting, the walls were protected withvarnish,which discolors over time, so that gradually the backgrounds turned from creamy white to yellow and the borders from sandstone color to murky green. Brumidi's frescoes were also painted over in oil paint when they became damaged or dark with grime. Major campaigns of retouching and repainting in oil over the frescoes were carried out byCharles Ayer Whipple(from 1919 to 1927),Charles Moberly(from 1921 to 1931), andGeorge B. Matthews(between 1928 and 1935). In some cases, these "restorers" proudly signed and dated their work, which included changing costumes and colors and adding their own details over Brumidi's composition. In the 1950s the walls were retouched and the ceilings repainted underFrancis CumberlandandJoseph Giacoloneand his sons.Cliff Youngalso restored the signs of the zodiac in 1980.
Between 1985 and 1995, Brumidi's frescoes were cleaned and conserved by professional conservators, includingBernard Rabin,Constance Silver,Catherine Myers,andChristiana Cunningham-Adams,to reveal his original compositions. Following careful study, the walls of the corridors are being gradually restored to their original colors and details. The pilot phase began in 1996. By 1999, the walls in thePatent Corridorwere brought back to their 1850s appearance. Unstable plaster was consolidated to make it firm, layers of overpaint were painstakingly removed, mainly with sharpscalpels,and missing details were inpainted. Although a clear protective coating is being applied to the restored murals, they are extremely vulnerable to damage, and care must be taken to make sure that they are not touched or bumped. The plainsandstone-colored borders and illusionistic shadows around the panels are being replicated to match small uncovered areas of the original. Conservation of the murals continues in the north corridor. No two panels are exactly alike, and new details and delicate colors are coming to light as the murky overpaint is removed.
The ornate bronze railing of the stairways used by senators at either end of the north corridor are composed ofcherubs,eagles,anddeerentwined in leafyrinceauxthat echo the wall decoration. They were designed by Brumidi, sculpted by Edmond Baudin, and cast inPhiladelphiabyArcher, Warner, Miskey & Co.in 1858 and 1859. Cleaning and conservation in 1988 have restored their original antique bronzepatina.
The ornately patterned and colored tile floors were manufactured byMinton, Hollins & CompanyinEngland.They were installed throughout the new extensions between 1856 and 1861. Theencaustic tile,made of inlaid colored clays, was chosen for its beauty, durability, and rich design, which complement the painted decoration of the corridors.
References[edit]
- This article incorporates public-domain text from theArchitect of the Capitol.
External links[edit]
- Brumidi CorridorsCapitol website
