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TheBrumidi Corridors are thevaulted, ornately decorated corridors on the first floor of theSenate wing in theUnited States Capitol.
They are named forConstantino Brumidi, who designed themurals, although assistants and other artists are responsible for many of the details. Brumidi was anItalian artist of Greek descent who was born inRome in 1805, worked for three years in theVatican underPope Gregory XVI, and served severalaristocrats as an artist forpalaces andvillas, including the princeTorlonia. Brumidiemigrated to the United States in 1852, and, after proving his skill infrescos 1855, he spent much of the next 25 years until his death in 1880 working in the Capitol, painting thefrieze ofAmerican history andThe Apotheosis of Washington in theRotunda as well as the Brumidi Corridors.
The Brumidi Corridors were part of the new wing constructed underArchitect of the CapitolThomas U. Walter between 1852 and 1859. Brumidi began making designs for the corridors in 1856. The decorative painting of thewalls andceilings of the main corridors was carried out primarily between 1857 and 1859. Brumidi added details in the 1860s and frescoed thelunettes over thedoorways in the 1870s. Although Walter had envisioned plain-colored walls hung withoil paintings, CaptainMontgomery C. Meigs, Superintendent of Construction, directed Brumidi to carry out an elaborate decorative scheme based onRaphael'sLoggia in the Vatican. Brumidi's classical training in Rome gave him a thorough understanding ofancient Roman,Renaissance, andBaroque styles, symbols, and techniques of wall painting.
Brumidi created the overall design for the corridors and directed its execution by artists of many nationalities. His immediate assistants includedJoseph Rakemann,Albert Peruchi, andLudwig Odense. AnEnglish artist, James Leslie, painted parts of the walls and ceilings of the corridors, including some of the birds and animals copied from specimens borrowed from theSmithsonian Institution. Leslie also probably painted thetrophies of musical, marine, agricultural, and military implements at the intersection of the north and west corridors and possibly themonochrome lunettes of trophies near therefectory. The foreman of the decorative painters was Emmerich Carstens.
A variety of techniques were employed in the corridors. Brumidi created the portraits and historical orallegorical scenes in the semicircular lunettes over the doorways in the difficult true fresco technique. The wall decorations were painted by decorative painters in lime-wash fresco; Brumidi himself probably painted the portraits. The ceilings were painted inwater-solubletempera, which was then called "distemper." Within the framework of panels framed byillusionisticmoldings are symmetrical designs of scrolling vines, vases, and mythological figures. Into these classical motifs Brumidi integrated American flora and fauna. On the intricately decorated walls can be seen an amazing variety ofclassical gods and goddesses; birds of a hundred different species; rodents, includingchipmunks,squirrels, andmice;insects andreptiles; andflowers andfruits. On the ceilings are landscapes and agricultural implements interspersed among the colorful framework of ornament. The painters of the scenic landscapes and theimpressionist-style oval landscapes in the ceiling are not documented.
The subjects of Brumidi's lunettes over the doorways reflect the functions of the committees that met in the rooms between 1873 and 1878 when they were painted. At the end of the west corridor, over the door to S-131, isAuthority Consults the Written Law (39k), whose subject related to theSenate Committee on the Revision of Laws assigned to the room.Columbus and the Indian Maiden (41k) andBartolomé de Las Casas (40k), who was called the "Apostle of the Indians," were painted over the doors of theSenate Committee on Indian Affairs (S-132 and S-133). Above the presentSenate Appropriations Committee room (S-128), originally occupied by theMilitary Affairs Committee, isBellona, the Romanwar-goddess (58k). In the ceiling at the north end of the corridor the signs of theZodiac appear on fields of blue. Along the walls, Brumidi painted monochrome profile portraits of famous early Americans (John Hancock,Francis Hopkinson,Robert Livingston,Roger Sherman,John Jay,Charles Thomson,Charles Carroll of Carrollton, andRobert Morris) set in medallions to resemblereliefs carved in stone.
Decorations in the north corridor include colorfulparrots and trophies on the walls near the elevator. Near the stairways at either end of the corridor are pilasters decorated with squirrels and mice. Monochrome medallion portraits ofRevolutionary War leaders (Daniel Morgan,Jonathan Trumbull,Horatio Gates,Israel Putnam,Thomas Mifflin,Silas Deane,Richard Montgomery,Joseph Warren,Thomas Jefferson, andBenjamin Franklin) are painted along the walls. Modern inventions, such as the airplane, were painted on the ceiling in the early twentieth century. Over S-124, which was then used by theSenate Committee on Territories, Brumidi paintedThe Cession of Louisiana (45k), depicting the meeting of Robert Livingston,James Monroe, and theFrançois Barbé-Marbois in 1803. In this area abronzebust ofCordell Hull and amarble one of Constantino Brumidi byJimilu Mason, dedicated in 1967, are displayed.
The north entrance retains its original tempera ceiling painted byEmmerich Carstens in 1875; Brumidi painted the frescoed portraits of juristsJusticeJoseph Story andChancellorJames Kent, and the imitation sculpture bust ofChancellor Robert R. Livingston, in 1878. The area below is decorated with birds; medallions hold scenes of animals and landscapes. The profile portraits ofAndrew Jackson,Henry Clay,Daniel Webster, and an Adams, perhapsJohn Quincy Adams, are different in style and inferior in quality; they are thought to date from the turn of the century. Opposite the entry is a painting of theUSSConstitution copied from a 1924lithograph.
At the east end of the north corridor, over S-118, then occupied by the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Brumidi paintedThe Signing of the First Treaty of Peace with Great Britain (44k). His depiction of the 1782 event showsJohn Adams,Benjamin Franklin,John Jay,Henry Laurens, and the British representativeRichard Oswald and was based on an unfinished sketch byBenjamin West. On the ceiling plows and other agricultural implements are depicted.
The Committee on Patents occupied the room on the east end of the north corridor, now S-116. For the area known as thePatent Corridor, Brumidi created frescoed lunettes with three important inventors:John Fitch (47k) (working on hissteamboat model),Benjamin Franklin (40k), andRobert Fulton (18k). (Appropriately, Franklin appears over the door of the room then assigned to theCommittee on Post Offices and Post Roads.) On the ceiling are trophies of the arts and sciences. In this area a bronze bust of Cordell Hull and a marble one of Constantino Brumidi byJimilu Mason, dedicated in 1967, are displayed.
Along the main north–south corridor are 14 oval medallions of landscapes, probably by one of the German decorative painters. In the south corridor eight medallions of animal groups alternate with repeated red, white, and blue shields. In the area leading to the refectory is an original tempera ceiling with illusionistic carved eagles and coffers and trophies of military equipment.
Visitors to the Capitol have long been puzzled by the many blank ovals in the corridors. Although intended for pictures, these were left empty when the corridors were being painted in 1858 and 1859 because of restrictions by Congress, which was considering having all fine art in the Capitol approved by an art commission. In the 1870s, Brumidi was hired to paint scenes in many of the empty spaces, but his progress was limited by lack of time and funds.
Some of the blank areas in the north corridor have been filled by later artists. Around 1930, an unknown artist portrayed theWright Flyer, theWright Brothers' airplane, andCharles Lindbergh'sSpirit of St. Louis. In 1975,Allyn Cox depicted theMoon landing. The most recent addition to the corridor is the scene depicting theSpace ShuttleChallenger mission crew, painted by Charles Schmidt in 1987. These last two scenes were painted oncanvas and then applied to the wall.
The Brumidi Corridors have always been a high-traffic area and, thus, vulnerable to damage; they were first repaired by Brumidi as early as 1861. In 1897, the backgrounds of the wall decorations were completely repainted in oil byWilliam H. Duckstein. Aside from constant repainting, the walls were protected withvarnish, which discolors over time, so that gradually the backgrounds turned from creamy white to yellow and the borders from sandstone color to murky green. Brumidi's frescoes were also painted over in oil paint when they became damaged or dark with grime. Major campaigns of retouching and repainting in oil over the frescoes were carried out byCharles Ayer Whipple (from 1919 to 1927),Charles Moberly (from 1921 to 1931), andGeorge B. Matthews (between 1928 and 1935). In some cases, these "restorers" proudly signed and dated their work, which included changing costumes and colors and adding their own details over Brumidi's composition. In the 1950s the walls were retouched and the ceilings repainted underFrancis Cumberland andJoseph Giacolone and his sons.Cliff Young also restored the signs of the zodiac in 1980.
Between 1985 and 1995, Brumidi's frescoes were cleaned and conserved by professional conservators, includingBernard Rabin,Constance Silver,Catherine Myers, andChristiana Cunningham-Adams, to reveal his original compositions. Following careful study, the walls of the corridors are being gradually restored to their original colors and details. The pilot phase began in 1996. By 1999, the walls in thePatent Corridor were brought back to their 1850s appearance. Unstable plaster was consolidated to make it firm, layers of overpaint were painstakingly removed, mainly with sharpscalpels, and missing details were inpainted. Although a clear protective coating is being applied to the restored murals, they are extremely vulnerable to damage, and care must be taken to make sure that they are not touched or bumped. The plainsandstone-colored borders and illusionistic shadows around the panels are being replicated to match small uncovered areas of the original. Conservation of the murals continues in the north corridor. No two panels are exactly alike, and new details and delicate colors are coming to light as the murky overpaint is removed.
The ornate bronze railing of the stairways used by senators at either end of the north corridor are composed ofcherubs,eagles, anddeer entwined in leafyrinceaux that echo the wall decoration. They were designed by Brumidi, sculpted by Edmond Baudin, and cast inPhiladelphia byArcher, Warner, Miskey & Co. in 1858 and 1859. Cleaning and conservation in 1988 have restored their original antique bronzepatina.
The ornately patterned and colored tile floors were manufactured byMinton, Hollins & Company inEngland. They were installed throughout the new extensions between 1856 and 1861. Theencaustic tile, made of inlaid colored clays, was chosen for its beauty, durability, and rich design, which complement the painted decoration of the corridors.
