D.C. Series Part Three: Library of Congress

A building and history that fascinates me is The Library of Alexandria. The Libary of Congress has also had its share of woe — it has been the victim of fire not once, but twice. After the first, Thomas Jefferson made a gift of his own personal library: 6,487 books. The gift was controversial because he owned books on all subjects and in different languages — some thought a government library should have its limits. Thomas Jefferson said about the controversy “There is, in fact, no subject to which a member of Congress might not have occasion to refer.” He was prophetic. Unfortunately, the second fire destroyed 2/3 of those books. Today, the library is offered additions to the collection at the rate of 20,000 books and items per day. Let’s take a look at more of the artistry. (See Part Two here.)

(below) There are mosaics…

(above) Mosaic niche mural called Minerva of Peace by Elihu Vedder. Here’s a closeup.

(below) Marble, iron and wood have been turned into ornamental beauties as well.

(below) More decorative painting in side corridors.

(below) The artisans had fun: see the closeup figure on the 23K gold leaf band on the right. Notice the hidden switchplate?

(below) Even the flooring was not forgotten.

The library is not limited to just research books. They also have sound recordings, photographs, maps, sheet music and manuscripts numbering in the multi-millions. I also found a good online pictorial of the artistry or you can take a virtual tour. I hope you’ve enjoyed the D.C. series and this two-day look into the Library of Congress. I did let them know that if they ever planned on selling, to give me a call first. Hey, a girl can dream.