United States House of Representatives: History, Art, & Archives
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History, Art & Archives of the U.S. House of Representatives

Get Out the Vote

by Archives on November 7, 2016

An Official Ballot Dropped into a Ballot Box
After months of political advertisements and debates, citizens turn out to elect their Representatives on Election Day. Incumbent and hopeful Members of Congress also show up at the polls in their home districts, casting a ballot (presumably) for themselves. Three photographs from the House Collection show past Representatives in the act of voting, while also posing for a good photo op.

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Categories: Art & Artifacts, Elections, Photography

Tabbing through Congress

by Art on October 15, 2015

If your signature look is a black bow tie, and if you are a candidate for Congress, do you want your campaign buttons to look like bow ties? Of course!

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Categories: Art & Artifacts, Elections

The Last Will and Testament of a Lame Duck

by History on November 17, 2014

Clifford K. Berryman Lame Duck Cartoon
It’s not a hunting term. Nor is it a cooking experiment gone wrong. It’s a phrase often bandied about after an election: the “lame duck,” or departing politician who returns to office for the remainder of his or her term after the November elections. It can be an awkward position, but one in which at least one woman Member found creative inspiration.

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Categories: Institution, Elections

Edition for Educators—Elections

by History on October 28, 2014

Nathaniel Banks
Constitutionally mandated to be the “People’s House,” the House of Representatives has always been elected directly by the voters bienially.

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Categories: Education, Elections

Please Pass the Gavel

by History on June 23, 2014

Bob Michel
During his nearly four decade career in Congress, Republican Leader Bob Michel of Illinois had only one chance to preside over the House. Ironically, his short-lived time in the Speaker’s chair came when the Democrats held the majority and because his colleague Speaker Tom Foley of Washington decided that Michel had waited long enough to wield the gavel.

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Categories: Institution, Speakers of the House, Elections

The Life and Times of a Campaign Button

by Art on May 16, 2013

Each election cycle, campaign buttons bloom on voters’ lapels like flowers in spring. These bright badges come in all shapes, sizes, and colors, and boast catchy slogans such as “We Love Lindy.” Campaign buttons made their debut on the trail in the late 1890s with the advent of a new material called celluloid.

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Categories: Art & Artifacts, Elections
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Office of the Historian: history@mail.house.gov
Office of Art & Archives, Office of the Clerk: art@mail.house.gov, archives@mail.house.gov