If Documents and Objects Could Talk

Photo of Exhibition Hall's A More Perfect Union Wall

As witnesses of the past, historic documents and objects have the capacity to unveil fascinating details about our country’s history. Join curators, historians, and educators from the U.S. Capitol, National Archives and Library of Congress as they reveal stories about Congress and the Capitol through documents and objects on display in Exhibition Hall. Talks are 15 minutes. Meet at the entrance to the Exhibition Hall on the lower level. No reservations or passes are required.

Thursdays at 1 p.m.

December 2
Bill Allen, architectural historian and Architect of the Capitol Preservation Officer, talks about the development of the Capitol and Capitol Hill.

December 9
Karen McKinstry, Manager of Collections, U.S. House of Representatives, talks about art, exhibition, and conservation challenges at the Capitol.

December 16
Wayne Kehoe, Volunteer Coordinator, Capitol Visitor Center, presents a talk titled,
The Great Compromise: Ellsworth and Sherman Save the Constitution.

December 23
Andrea Lewis, educator at the Capitol Visitor Center, explains the stories simple toys reveal about the history of Congress.

December 30
Carol Beebe, Exhibits Coordinator, Capitol Visitor Center, presents a talk titled, The Power of the Original.  She will contrast and compare facsimile reproductions to original documents and artifacts, discuss conservation issues in the display of originals, and address the meaning of the “real” in the “digital age.”

January 6
Maria Marable-Bunch, educator at the Capitol Visitor Center, talks about the artist, Brumidi and the well-known Capitol dome painting, The Apotheosis of Washington.

January 13
Dr. Barbara Wolanin, Curator for the Architect of the Capitol, talks about the history of the National Statuary Hall collection of statues donated by the states.

January 20
Rob Lukens, Director, Exhibits and Education, Capitol Visitor Center, presents a talk titled, "Congress and the American Wilderness in the Progressive Era, 1890-1920." He will explore Congress' role in the preservation, conservation, and use of the Nation's natural resources during this seminal time period in American history.

January 27
Carol Beebe, Exhibits Coordinator, Capitol Visitor Center, presents a discussion titled, Bathtubs and Boarding Houses: Life at the Capitol in the 19th Century.