relationship in his torso that historical significance of the artwork. the u.s. capital historical society hosted this 50 minute event. >> i'd like to start today's final brownbag lunch of the season. i would like to welcome you on behalf of my colleagues. barbara has been a good friend for friend money one of the u.s. capital. is from harvard and the university wisconsin madison, all these wonderful academic institutions. she's taught at universities in the area, for the last 30 years she's been difference to anyone who needs to know almost anything about the u.s. capitol. i would like to introduce barbara woolen. >> thank you chuck, i am very pleased to be here. part of my job is to be liaison with the society. one of the things i'm proudest of is the fellowship program we have collaborated on since 1986. the only documented friendship i for many years i had wanted to go there and see them. i handed up finding some additional paintings that i did not know about that i'm really excited about and wanted to share with you. and also develop some new insights about the relationship and the is about ship between the artist and senator. premeeting and so were born far apart. the median realm and moral in a tiny little town in vermont. today the town still only has 1000 residents and it. i think probably he was baptized in this church that is still there and the meeting was baptized in rome. but they were basically the same generation. and 1810, and neither was born into wealth. lan -- ran aents copy shop. and morals father was a blacksmith. their educations were very different, bernini as many of you may know study from age 13 at the academy of saint luke in rome. his teachers and leaders of the school were very prominent. he learned by copying the sculptures by copying the paintings and he learned about all the religious and classical stories and so forth. said that he studied for 14 years. he learned of the different techniques. a wide range of techniques. he won commissions from the richest family in rome he also worked for the vatican. he did a portrait of pope high as the night was considered one of the best painters of his generation by the time he was about 40. most formal education i don't have good pictures of this, but in the small town that's very truncated. you two academy on the high school level. he wanted to go to college but the other money. he worked as a clerk and then as a merchant. he started making investments in things like banks and railroads in real estate. by age 38 he was wealthy enough he was could retire area really interested in expanding his knowledge of literature and history. and very interested in innovative techniques of he spends a lot of time designing and having built a house that is still the homestead. it's preserved in vermont. it's a gothic revival style it was would, it was painted to look like stone. i'm not sure they did the pain analysis. it was supposed to look like stone. later emr instead and started building his library and eventually his art collection. here's a few of the interior today. what's interesting about the say aboutis i will the south in washington, a lot of the furniture from the house and watch them when the house was torn down was moved up to vermont. they're all kinds of wonderful things that can preserved that he owns. both he and premeeting were bright hard-working successful. this is a drawing he did of the garden. farming, a lot of that is still preserved where you can see it today. case, there one were many many cases of books. think when he did the addition on his house after he had been in the congress, interesting glass lay light, stained-glass window really beautiful to see. in 1849 got involved in the republican revolution in rome. he had been elected a captain and when the republic was declared for me got involved trying to basically say things from the troops. after pope pius the ninth this portrait he had painted came back in the power, anyone those related to the revolution was imprisoned and put on trial. he was in prison for every year he was planning to go to america. finally the pope pardoned him. he avoided an 18 year sentence in prison. interestingly, came to the united states in 1852. he started getting private finally, he would get to the capital. interestingly almost exactly the same time the just and moral came he been doing all this good business and had retired. then he started getting involved in politics and was on the local level and state level then he got to national delegation and he won a seat in congress and he came to washington in 1855. premeeting came in december 1854 and started working in rome. of course his first trial fresco plow which is for the agriculture committee. i have not seen any documents, but i'm sure that he would've known that. he was interested in agriculture as well. of course the feeling with the four seasons is something i can imagine he would've admired. then he moved over to the senate side and assumed moral have it's now that area and the senate appropriations room, but it was painted for the senate ways and affairs committee. one of the hallmarks of the pompeii in style is the floating maiden on the wall. when i went into the moral homestead house and was really interested because it had print of one of the floating pompeii maidens on the wall. what i really saw being there was that's morals this it was. much in line with her meaty. meeting was very proud. he just become an american citizen and moral live set at one of these does, one of these carved oak desks and chairs. he boughtnterestingly one himself. when i stopped using these beautiful desks and chairs they auction them off. there were a number of -- a number of them back to the capital. we really treasure them now. his is there in the homestead in vermont. the quarters would've been painted about that time between 1857 in 1859, the walls and ceilings were all being painted. i can imagine he might've been interested. you can send hours weekdays looking at the detail, byutifully restored now christy coming them out into scare the audience if you don't know her. panelsople's favorite are the panels of the squirrels which are fun to look at. on a paintingsed in the vatican that bernini one of known. really big surprise for me was to go into the house and find these two square panels on plaster painted in oil paint which it looks on them. related to thech court or design and i don't know. there's still a mystery getting paint does for his assistance to show he wanted? did he paint them later or his morally wanted something to decorate his house? i don't know. i went around just yesterday and started looking and there are identical chipmunks in the corridor. you can see their similar. and then there was one more cherubs bearing much like bernini painted. so a squarester plaster panel. again, i did not find it exactly identical, but the grouping of two and three of the little figures. convincingly by marini desperately -- for meaty. another hardesty admired was rafael. the bacon of the upper left his travails. at the bottom is just a morals print of the same figure. very in-lineere and in sympathy with what they loved in terms of our. of you know,lot one of the big things that molded as a congressman was introducing the idea of the land-grant college. he is not gotten to go to college but wanted to make sure that farmers and artists in all caps of people that did not have a lot of money have the chance to ghost eddie the practical things, but also the academic subjects. in 1862 and made a huge impact on people all over the country area and he really was a promoter of education. the other big thing he did when hewas a member of the house was starting to develop his own appreciation for art and she introduced the legislation in 1864. i don't love the credit because people have been talking about the idea for a number of years. startup paintings not all of wall space. so the idea of statues and busts makes more sense. but before the legislation is introduced, a vermont newspaper described the space as a thoroughfare between the new wing in the rotunda. the old hall of the house is now a barn like storeroom for invalid furniture. these peddlers should be driven from the temples of state whose walls once echoes. >> a lot of people were concerned about this. would moral introduced the had asked, to what end and at the same time simple and inexpensive can we shall the chambers that be set apart for the reception of such statuary is state shall elect to be deserving of this generation. areao became on july 1864 that today congress changed the law and states are replacing the statues. to me it's quite remarkable to think that this legislation was passed while the civil war was still going on. he was getting promised over another tidbit i found this photograph one of the early statues donated to the collection, one of winthrop and marble. so now he goes to new phase of his career. he was elected to senate in 1866 started serving and 67. he served in the senate until 1898 when he died. he served 44 years in congress. it was the longest anyone had at that time. he was representing allstate not just a little district. he expanded his knowledge of the world by going to europe for the first time he already gotten interested in collecting art. by hard for him. love the art that you still see in the homestead with some of that, in a sculptor friend helping them acquire prensa painting mostly little statues and busts and things like that. senate, -- into the one thing i don't know and am curious about is what he thought about the apotheosis when it was unveiled the getting of 1866, he would've been in the house and cnet. the photographs and showing you were taken by matthew brady. imagine that it really impressed him. senator, thes a lbj room now used to be the senate post office, he would've gotten there to get mail and seen more of the frescoes. started adding things to the senate reception room. there were a lot of blank areas in the capital. when he started painting, then when the senate moved in and on the construction money moved out it stopped. there are still blank areas in the capital today. one of the ones that was really interesting is the -- again part of the appropriations committee today was the senate military affairs room. in 1858 bernini and done two of the frescoes there. it done oil sketches that are on view today. you can see a number of them. you plan the moment out for revolutionary battle scenes and then the committee wanted to use the room so we stopped finally cap back in 1971 and did the last three. really the thing i was most with hisbout watercolor sketches. i never seen anything like this. detail, you can really see these of the ones the shouting got approved. this is the limit he changed from the battle scene to the boston massacre and put in the centerpiece christmas who was an african-american hero of i want to area i 1 -- speculate if moral have anything to do with this. i don't know. in the second one, valley forge in military affairs now appropriations. again very much exactly the study. he made some changes in the fresco, but this is what is. these were there when i did the book and i realized why. moreland had two children. her sister had moved in with them. after he died, his wife died she was the one who kept hold of everything and really valued and treasured cap everything together for a long time. mentioned three sketches of murals of in the capital and people went after she died. so the elsea name, in the family got them and now the homestead was able to buy them back to their back with a long. then of course morals like in washington. he built a house in 1872 on thomas circle, it's not there anymore because it was torn down in the 1960's probably forever numeral. it was well photograph. the interiors are photograph which is really lucky. the other interesting thing is that moral was friends with the architect of the capitol edward clark. over after walter left and mini team to the seven they created the actual title of the architect of the capitol which so we have today where the architect is in charge of the whole building. it was supposedly built under the direction and i was imagining that ever clark designed it, but they actually have the drawings for the house at the homestead and you can see that they don't have parts name on them. that here is is very important senator in the architect of the capitol doing a favor for the senator to ensure that everything is in done correctly. in spite of an elegant house. apparently they had a very lively social life. his birthday was a big party. as one of the social events of the season. biographers said the heart of the home was the library where the senator did much of his later work. yet the desk and chair from the house chamber in there. all the mementos of foreign travel. here's another rosenhaus. this case, this is really important he had for me decorate the ceiling. need did all of the classical looking things on the ceiling and then he did for portraits that were actually painted on oil on canvas which meant when the house was torn down they were able to preserve them. here's what they look like today, there in the library. very hard photographs, here the portraits he did. dickens longfellow hawthorne he was a very prominent american historian known for books he did on the spanish colonies mexico and peru things like that. somebody think moreland meyer. bernini must've known about him. here, one of the docents found these books. their morals versions of them. thatthe person told me was yet admits in the book's. it wasn't just that he on them. he was reading them of the about them and commenting in them area it shows his deep interest in history. at this point, he also one clark ifk to edward you finish the dining room he would be glad that it's not important. he was known for portraits. bernini at this point was in the capitals for attic the everyone slowly got enough money from the film of the room. more or less giving them some work in his house which i'm sure was helpful. he should've been rich at this time. he got all the 500 paid for them. and said and poor desperate. in 1870's there were big huge economic crashes and destruction. someone may have advised him to invest. we don't know. she ended up burying him. he really needed the money. moral was aware of that. here's one of the ones about the house. writing. >> on so well pleased with what i have. he's thinking about giving him more work. bernini say these letters and they were passed down in his family papers. here's the library that was mentioned. this portrait i believe is one that was done by dr. jeannie. these are some of the other paintings that he had in his house. you can see it's still hanging in the library there in vermont. on one of the rooms, he said going to give recent prince jesus portraits but you might also want to include clark. and i think he probably meant edward clark the architect. a good friend of his. he actually did pain edward clark. i think it was clear. weekly painted. the way he handled light and circuits. is he looksing pretty on which means remaining made known in. then the senate has a portrait of moral thrown in. he had one payment for cornell university. elected someone she had another version done. so some of the areas where there were lots and painted areas in the core doors all the walls and ceilings. all this amazing wonderful intricate detail. he is never been higher or allowed to paint they would've just been blank. in 1873 he started getting commissioned to paint them. nisi would have done all by himself. we know that he and worked with cap the main very closely. for his frescoes and murals and everything. moral said they like to talk about books in history about literature he also wrote a said when the books arrive i will dispose of them as you request. moral was ordering books trying to show things to them. meaning that the paneer. intellectwn for his and one newspaper article described him as a man of cultivated taste in wide reading especially fond of the classical poets clearly conversant with works of historical art. the old italian poets were familiar friends. you can imagine the two men enjoy talking to each other. he knew the very meaty red historians. he had written a 10 volume history of the american revolution. he was also fun to be with. he had a good sense of humor and he liked visit -- music. he was been fun to be with. the first one of ones. all these had do with the subject of the committee. another thing i was really excited about in vermont is the have the painting in the library very dark and dirty hard to see but it was now just as a copy of the french are 18th-century portrait of benjamin franklin. you can see the resemblance. because whencited fresco westoring the could tell it was a copy. we as some of that, but non-really pretty sure this would been steady. he a lot of times you would copy i wish we had this one. remediate tended to think more broadly and freely. one of the sort of big events this is really kind 30 heching on november wrote to edward called and said that just and moral visited him on thanksgiving day. not shows a close friendship. at the time i was working in the capital and retain work by the senator. he said that he gave a copy that he wrote. he also made one for edward clark. in the letter he said mr. moral told me that i would have work at the capital after the recession of the congress. but about my proposition cannot tell me anything at present. he asked me what will be my demand about wages. i replied that before the war i attend dollars in gold that was a sufficient wage. he's basically saying he needs the sameill work for rate is $10 a day that he did for the rest of his life. interest could've made a difference. in the letter it's really the only time that he wrote his history at all. i think moral would've encouraged him to do that. now many panels remain empty. that large freeze in the rotunda before the war tends to represent the history. the artist hundley proposes to this wasith the work written november 30, 1874. think that all of the work he in the late 1870's really probably had a lot to do with moral bolstering. he did this wonderful fresco of columbia welcoming the south. another one which is very relevant to what we've been again anbout is appropriations suite at 129. 1876 and the moral homestead this beautiful painting of the sketch for the scene of painting. the portrait that she's painting is prescott. maybe as more limited is probably the image that he used. that was really exciting. was senatorthing moral wrote to bernini and said i expected to have returned in time for saturday. this is the one where he said he came home one day and found it but this painting in his house. they had to be pretty close friends for someone to do that. you misspelled the artist name but anyway he says it take quite pleasing picture. he has attempted any work at of course you cannot expect equal year with 40 years of experience so what i think this is is a very large painting the dawn or aurora based on the belief that torvalds and it done. the dawn with the chair of. looking at it closely, it's not quite up to his quality but it is well done. he himself had done copies of this. there were many prints of it. was very popular in the 19th century. based on the77 sketches he had worked out with primary may. prepared a 30 foot scroll of the sketches that were going to go around the rotunda and add up to the 300 feet. what actually happened was when they're surere this way but they're sure that way. he was not in good health. in cumulative wasn't going to live long enough to finish the whole thing. he started with the scene of the landing of columbus and started got to around area he the scene of william penn on the indians when he almost fell off the scaffold. came back the next day and said no ongoing to my studio. he supposedly worked on this until the day before he died. recommendeded he eulogiesdied they gave tried it come up with enough money to get them very. acted up at the sound, but i'm using the session started out. so difficult and so durable. his great desire was that he might live complete his last great were. his love and sport was not surpassed even by that of michelangelo think eaters. i think the idea of connecting i think michelangelo he's closer to raffaella michelangelo. in moral took interest messaging me. and here's the one where he finally finished the scene in 1859. there's a 32 foot cap. he was warning the congress this is not going to reach all around. there's a problem with the dimensions. they started blaming him for crowding the figures. this left it there for years. one time he wrote to edward clark that he came and painted in 1881 then he came back to me clarkoral said to edward five papers i would see him. him he ise to retain possibly doing better than what any new man. you know best the pay for a good artist is rather small. moral of the oil sketch of one of the scenes that he did not this is how it's displayed in the house. just to give him credit he to get the terrorists added to the capital. posted at the washington monument completed. he was regent at the smithsonian. he died in 1898 and the library opened in 1897. when he died people said his byk is old-fashioned area the time he died the classical was back. artists are not trained in fresco. again i think a lot of things in the capital can be enjoyed today i just have this new understanding of how much morals supports made a difference. plugt to give one more city moral homestead. we did a joint exhibition. saying he wanted to do an exhibit. i think the historical society still has those panels. u.s. capital historical society. for the loan of the exhibition it's not a homestead. we will be here until mid-october sawyer to all. >> three of time for questions? >> getting here was a bit of an adventure. turn up the plane was like an eight seater plane, what an adventure. >> other descendents of bernini? died in one american son, he had a daughter in the sun in rome the sun in rome had four children when he died the only ones claiming to be his heir was one granddaughter. sadly at that time she was in a mental institution. so neither of them had any children. and well i have a niece. there are people in greece that name butat have the his father. and never heard of the descendent. >> you suggested something i auld agree with and that is biography needs to be written on moral, but also the sinking did you come across any correspondence between him? i was standing out there thinking did i check that? i don't think i did. >> moral one been one of the founders of the republican party some presuming he had a pretty close relationship with the president. did you find anything in that wrong? >> i did not. there's a lot of interesting questions. the outset one. role in the revival. >> i always credit her. she's kind of the foundation. she wrote up a lot of things. she was a very invaluable resource. thelikes to give tours of capital and got interested in him and interest within the architects. she did the real groundbreaking research. i think even today with all the internet. this probably a lot of things available that i didn't have when i was doing the book. they were hard to find. >> you are mentioning the fact that we don't have frescoes in the library of congress. when the captain was first considering his application to work in the capital, was the fact that he could work in fresco ever mentions? big deal for him because he been looking for someone. there any american in this country who can do it? anybody would be the most permanent thing in the capital. when he showed that day i was romeing he's done them in but he can't carry them. that was a big factor. my theory, i can't prove it how do they know about them? his teacher west point was robert lerer who did the pilgrims. he had studied fresco in florence. one more. >> some of the brownback talks without the summer that mention paintingrk for the your finding stuff in vermont, are conservatives doing more of this? getting back to the originals. >> yes. you want those sources. the original is damaged you can find what he was looking at. they wanted to be accurate. that was a 19th-century thing. he was saying something store: mechanical. there's some cases work on the book that he used the that was an area where not a lot to be done. just had in his head this repertory of the classical sculptures and gestures. ensure this idea that he was helping them get books for him and check prints. things -- if anybody ever finds that let us know about it. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] i think every three slate should do something she cares about. the art of children is the same the world over. good in a world where there's quite enough to divide people that we should cherish the language in the notion. >> or 1000 days as first lady would find in images.