The Sistine Chapel Of The West It's Not...
In the 1850s, in what is presently the Senate's LBJ Room but what- at that time- was to be a library, the decorating decision-makers planned on showcasing four library-relevant-themed Neoclassic fresco-style paintings.
The four themes were to be: 1.) History 2.) Geography 3.) Philosophy and 4.) Print.
The first two paintings had been finished when, in the 1860s, the library plan was shelved (no pun intended - initially) and the room was, instead, to be made into a Post Office.
With the change of purpose, the latter two of the four themes were changed.
The four themes became: History, Geography, Physics and... The Telegraph.
I'm sure that the decorators/painters felt that their vision for the themes - particularly the last two paintings - showed reverence and respect for the exceptional painters/works from history... with a few upgrades.
End result? America is (metaphorically-speaking) depicted as the pinnacle of Health, Vitality and - as evidenced by the inclusion of a steamship and a train in the background of the "Physics" painting and the placement of a telegraph line in the hand of a cherub and placement of a telegraph pole in the background of the "Telegraph" painting - Modernity.
Hey! Look up... What's that? Oh, I know... It's Lady Liberty... and - whoa! - She's Hangin' Ten... and doing so noplace other than atop the crest of the latest wave of technological advancement!
I kid you not.
It's kinda weird - not that there's anything wrong with this variety of "weird" - but, in a trippy/quircky American History sort-of-way.
Check it out in the brief clip from TRMS that you'll find below.
Enjoy!
Peace,
L. :)
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L.