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    HomeExplore the Capitol CampusThe Art CollectionThomas Crawford
  

Capitol sculptor

Birth
    1814

New York City, NYUnited States

Death
    1857

Major Works
    Statue of Freedom
          Progress of Civilization Pediment
          Justice and History Sculpture

Portrait of Thomas Crawford.
    
                  Perhaps no sculptor had more influence on the appearance of the U.S. Capitol Building than Thomas Crawford (1814-1857).

His sculptures are featured prominently on the exterior of the Capitol, including the Statue of Freedom, which tops the Capitol Dome.

Crawford was born in New York City. He studied drawing and wood carving before joining the New York stonecutting studio of John Frazee and Robert Launitz. Crawford traveled to Rome in 1835 to study with Bertel Thorwaldsen, the preeminent Danish neoclassical sculptor, and he established his studio there.

In July 1853, Captain Montgomery Meigs, supervising engineer of the construction of the Capitol extension, asked Massachusetts Senator Edward Everett to recommend artists to design sculpture for the new pediments on the East Front. Everett recommended Thomas Crawford as an artist whose statuary would honor both the Capitol and the country.

Crawford designed the "Progress of Civilization" pediment, located on the East Front of the Senate wing of the Capitol, and the Justice and History sculpture, which is above the Senate doors of the east portico. He also designed the House and Senate bronze doors, which were completed by others, and sculpted the Statue of Freedom.

Image
    Thomas Crawford portrait in the U.S. Capitol's Cox Corridors.

Crawford portrait in the U.S. Capitol's Cox Corridors.Crawford died suddenly in 1857 after completing of the full-size plaster model for the Statue of Freedom in Rome. After his death, his widow shipped the model to the United States, where it was cast in bronze by Clark Mills and placed atop the Capitol Dome on December 2, 1863. Crawford's original plaster model is now on view in Emancipation Hall in the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center.
          
    
      Art
Crawford's Masterpieces
The artist's collection of work throughout Capitol Hill.
            
          Statue of Freedom

Statue of Freedom is the crowning feature of the Dome of the United States Capitol. The bronze statue stands 19 feet 6 inches tall and weighs approximately 15,000 pounds.
    Progress of Civilization Pediment

The Progress of Civilization features figures that represent the early days of America along with the diversity of human endeavor.
    Justice and History Sculpture

Justice and History features two draped female figures reclining against a globe.
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Learn more about the history of lighting this iconic building including the part of the Dome called the "tholos."
    
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