Five scholars are the recipients of the 2007-2008 United States Capitol Historical Society Fellowship. Dr. Jhennifer A. Amundson, a previous Capitol Fellow, will conduct research on her planned book on Capitol Architect Thomas U. Walter. A German scholar, Jörg Matthies, will study the history and symbolic meaning of the memorial trees within the Capitol district with a focus on the U.S. Botanic Garden and the National Arboretum. Three doctoral candidates were awarded fellowships: Annelise K. Madsen to study the allegorical meaning of the decorations in the Library of Congress, Kate Elliot to research representations in Capitol art of first contact between Europeans and Native Americans, and Eve Rosenbaum for an examination of the Capitol dome as metaphor for the Union during the Civil War.
Inaugurated in 1986, the Capitol Fellowship Program has provided financial support to more than fifty scholars researching important topics in the art and architectural history of the United States Capitol Complex. Fellowship support permits scholars--selected on the basis of their qualifications and research proposals--to use the extensive documents housed in the Office of the Architect of the Capitol, the Library of Congress and the National Archives. The Fellowship is funded by the United States Capitol Historical Society and jointly administered by the Architect of the Capitol.
