2008-2009 United States Capitol Historical Society Fellows

The United States Capitol Historical Society is proud to announce the awarding of fellowships to five candidates who will research topics related to the art and architectural history of the United States Capitol. The fellows were awarded financial stipends ranging from one to three months each to support their research utilizing the records of the Office of the Architect of the Capitol, the Library of Congress, the National Archives, and other research institutions in the Nation’s Capital.

The fellows and the subjects of their research are:

Ms. Jean M. Farnsworth, independent historian and conservation consultant: " Stained Glass Windows and Skylights in the United States Capitol produced by by J. & G.H. Gibson"

Mr. Guy Gugliotta, award-winning journalist and free-lance writer: "The Civil War and the Capitol Dome" (focusing on the roles of Jefferson Davis, Montgomery C. Meigs, and Thomas U. Walter in the expansion of the Capitol)

Dr. Debra Hanson, adjunct professor of art history, University of Richmond: "Westward Expansion and National Identity: A Comparative Study of Three Sets of Images in the U.S. Capitol"

Mr. Crawford Alexander Mann III, doctoral candidate, History of Art, Yale University: "When in Rome: Italian Travel and the Pursuit of the Ideal Male Body in Antebellum American Art" (with a focus on sculptors Thomas Crawford and Horatio Greenough)

Ms. Constance Silver, professional conservator, "The Interior Life of a Great Monument: Review and Interpretation of All Analyses of Historic Architectural Finishes in the U.S. Capitol Building"

The United States Capitol Historical Society Fellowship Program was established in 1986 to further the Society’s mission to support research and publication on the history of the Capitol and Congress. In the program’s twenty-two year history, more than fifty-five scholars have received financial assistance to pursue their studies. In addition to a score of doctoral dissertations, several award winning books have resulted, including Vivien Green Fryd’s Art and Empire: The Politics of Ethnicity in the U.S. Capitol, 1815-1860, and the late Thomas Somma’s The Apotheosis of Democracy. For more information on the fellowship program, its terms and conditions, as well as a list of all recipients, please click here.