WITHIN THE
CANOPY OF THE ROTUNDA.
A ITI{0oR OF THE "FEDERAL CITY; OR, INS AND ABOUTS OF WASHINGTON,"
" tARRY BRIGOT, THE DRUMMER Boy," ETC., ETC.
WASHINGTON:
GIBSON BROTHERS, PRINTERS.
] 2f;;.
:b e
]?()1t; SA   L IN~ TIxLE CPITO. 
Entered? according to Act of Congress, in the year 186,6, by
GIBSON BROTHERS,
In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the I)istrict of Columbia.
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DF~GRIPTION
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BY
~i% UMilibi,
uTITHIN THE CANOPY OF THE ROTUNDA.
To an Amen can the I~otnnda of the Ca1~itoi is replete with
interest.
lle feels his heart beating within him as be treads the solid
floor.  Pictures, and works in alto ~~eliev~ crowd on the sight,
aiid, from them all, come glimpses of proud historic teachings.
Up, still higher, above the painted iron caissons, which, lilic
huge plates of overlying mail, approach the far-away roof,;~
hundred and seventy-seven feet, the gre at fresco picture l~y
Bnu~ini arrests the gaze as though the sky had opened, and it
were permitted to look into the "Beyond."
Clouds of gold, azure, and rose, seem hanging there, and,
floating among them, forms of exquisite beauty.   ~ rand
mythological ~gures, symbolizing Force and Progress, appear
there too, Titanic - majestic; and they almost appall with
their great significance.  The calm glorious faces of the great
American dead, look down with eyes that seem living eyes,
also from out the mysterious dizzy height of the huge'
Concave.
The Dome consists of two shells of iron all outer and an
inside shell.  The outer shell is pierced with open~ngs.  Reflectors are so placed, that the admitted light falls full upon the
inside of the Canopy, and illumines the picture.  At night, a
circle o~ lighted jets, surrounding the base of the Canopy, fills
this portion of the Dome with light as' bright as day.
A stairway winds up between the two shells, and views of 
112         THE FEDERAL ciTY.
the picture can be obtained at different heights.  Just beneath
the base of the Canopy a railed gallery traverses the circuit of
the Dome.  There is also another gallery, considerably lower
down, surrounding the Rotunda.
DLNTL%LD G~I~QUL D~ TXE ~iOTUftE.
WASHINGTON, the Saviour of his Country, apotheosized,
appears seated in majesty.  On his right is the GODDESS OF
LIBE~TY, and, on his left is a winged idealization of Yic~on~
and FAME - sounding a trumpet, and in trinmph displaying
the victor's palni.
Before the three, forming a semicircle, are thirteen female
figures.  The head of e~ch is crnwned with a star.  They bold
up a ribbon banner on which is inscribed, E Pluribus Unum.
These figures represent the thirteen sister STATES of
D~~~w~~~,  P~~~sy~v~~i~, NEW JERSEY, GEoRGIA, CoNNEcTIcUT, M~ss~ciius~~m', MARYLAND, SoUTll CARoLINA, NEW
HAMPSHIRE, VIRGINIA, N~w YORK, NoRTH CARoLINA, and
RHoDE ISLAND - the original British Colonies - that fought,
and bled, and conquered - winning freedom, and the right to
sing and shout the glad "morning hymn" announcing the
coming dawn of man's Millennial Day.
Joy lights their faces, and, linked together, in one united
purpose, they form an unbroken sisterhood, under the cherished
motto of the world's great Republic.
The coloring of the drapery, the fUrms, and the attitudes, of
these figures, and the leaves and blossoms entwined i,,n their hair,
betoken the STATES they represent.  The subdued delicate
green of the Northern States changes to brighter and deeper
tints, until they warm  into golden hues.  There is' symboled
the grass and maize of the North, the wheat of the West, the
tobacco of the Middle States, and the cotton of the South. 
T II E  F E 1) E It A L C I T Y.   113
Below this centre group are six others, surrounding the
base of the Canopy.
The first, occupying the west, is
VTAD.
FREEDOM, terrible in vengeance, with upraised sword, is
striking down Tyranny and Kingly Power.  They are over
come, and fleeing from her wrath in dismay; with them is
Anger, and also Revenge and Discord bearing the incendiary
torch.
An angry EAGLE, striking with his beak, is fighting for,and by the side of; FREEDOM.
The second, is
A&RIOULTUR~.
This conception, in all its details, is softly beautiful, as the
otber is sublime in its exhibition of destructive power.
CEREs, the Goddess of harvests and the Fields, with the
llorn of Plenty, is in the centre.
YOUNG AMERICA, with Liberty Cap, of red, the bonnet rouge
of France, having under bis control a pair of vigorous horses
hitched to an American Reaper, in conscious pride is exhibiting
his skill.
The back ground is a luxuriant mass of prolific American
vegetation.  FLORA is gathering flowers, and, hovering near,
is a cherub   Beyond is POMONA with a basket of fruit.
Then, succeeds
)`%i~ QI~li?L4ICb
Vu~cA~, the old stalwart Tubal Cain of Grecian mythology,
is the colossal genius of tbis group.  His right foot rests on a
cannon. 
111          T H E  F E D E R A L  C I T Y.
Machinery, forges, mortars, and cannon balls, strewn around,
remind us of forging thunder bolts, as well as of combat with,
and victory over, the giant forces of nature, and making them
subservient to human will, and purposes.
The next, and occupying the east, is
Q`LsWIP fbC)i.
MERcURY, the Protector of Travellers and Merchants, holds
in his hand a bag of gold, to which he is directing the attention
of ROBERT MoRRis, the Financier of the American Revolution.
It was he who guided to a successfnl issue the entangled
pecuniary embarrassments of our country in its struggle for
independence.  Alas! for himself, he died a bankrupt, and in
confinernent for debt.
Boxes of merchandise, and bales of goods, with men at work
among thern, are to be seen.  Two sailors point to a gunboat
in the distance.
The groap beside this, symbolizes the
NEPTUNE, in marine state, bearing his trident, in his car
accompanied by his charioteer and attendants, is emerging
astonished from the deep.
The`beautiful APHRODITE, [YENUsl, born of the sea foam,
half risen from the waves, holds in her hand the Atlantic cable,
given her by a winged cherub, and is about dro~ping it into
the sea.
]?he last, is 
T H E  F E I) E R A L  c I T Y.     115
T~HB A~T2~ AND SOIENCE?3.
MINERvA, the Goddess of Wisdom, stands gloriously prominent, with helmet and spear, as she sprung, full grown, from
the brain of JUPITER.
In meek attitudes, but with glowing faces, attentive to her
teachings, are BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, Printer and Philosopher,
ROBERT FULToN, of Steamboat renown, and S. F. B. MORSE,
the generally acknowledged inventor of the Magnetic Telegraph.
-There are also boys, with wondering eyes, and expressive
listening t9 the instructions of a school teacher.
This painting covers an area of 1(3(34 square fe~t.  The
cicumference of the base of the Canopy is 205 feet, 4 inches;
its diameter is (35 feet, 4 inches, and its height from base to top,
in a straight line, is 20 feet, 74~- inches.  [These dimensions were
obtained at the office of Edward Clark, Esq., present Architect
of the Capitol Extension and the New Dome, a pupil of the
Designer and former Architect, Thomas U. Walter, Esq.]
An art critic has remarked of this fresco:
"That, whether considered as regards the conceptions of the
artist, the perfection of coloring and drawing, the faultless
grouping, or the peculiar characterisics that adapt it to the
concave surface on which it is painted, and to the great distance
from which it must be viewed, the picture is a master piece of
art.
"in foreshortening, coloring, and proportion i-ts position
has required the study of effects to be produced at an altitude
of nearly two hundred feet, and Mr. BRUMIDI, in addition to his
powers of genius, has been obliged to bring into requisition the
learning and mature study of the highest schools of art." 
11~         THE FEDERAL CITY.
The preparation of the plaster ground-work for the artist,
re~uiflng the most careful judgment, was the work of Mr.
JOSEPH BEcKERT, who also prepared the wail for Leutze's
picture of "Western Emigration" above the western staircase
leading to the gallery of the Hall of the House of Representatives.
~~ 1 1% fi 0 0.  i mi 1) i A
It is natural to desire to know something of the artist to
whom we are indebted for this painting.  Signor C. Brumidi
is an Italian, and was born in Rome in 1811.  He came to
America in 1852, and is a naturalized citizen of the United
States.
He has been mainly engaged for years in ornamenting
various portions of the walls of the Capitol, and his name will
ever be associated with the history and beauty of our woMdrenowned national building.
He recently also painted the frescocs which adorn ~he Cathedral of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, in Philadelphia.
C o t 0 f ~ 0 P i c t mi 1' 0.
The amount of appropriation made for this fresco picture
was forty thousand dollars.
The stairway stilt continues its ascent above the picture, and
traverses the top of the Canopy, between the two shells, until it
reaches the "Tholus" or "Lantern" a-top of the Dome.
Around the base of the Lantern, outside the Dome, is a
circular railed gallery, or promenade, from which is a view, on
all sides so magnificent, that it will never b& forgotten by any
who have climbed the height.  No visitor to the "Federal
City" should fail to avail himself of tbe privilege of making
the ascent, which, though long and wearisome, is unattended
with danger. 
R~OB~RT D. fl. SM~TIi,
451 SEVENTH STREET,
Direct~y Opposfte the E~s!erii ~ntrance to the Patent- Office,
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WA S HI N ~TO N.
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