Samuel F. B. Morse

With this monumental painting, Samuel F. B. Morse wanted to glorify US democracy in action. He depicts the grand House of Representatives chamber glowing in lamplight before an evening session.

The artist spent four months in Washington painting the individuals seen here: congressmen, staff, Supreme Court justices, and press. At the far right in the visitors’ gallery is Chief Petalesharo (Pawnee Nation), who visited President James Monroe in 1821. Petalesharo is isolated from the other figures, echoing the oppression and displacement of Native Americans. Morse toured the painting in 1823, but it did not draw much attention. He went on to pursue scientific interests, becoming famous as the primary inventor of the telegraph.