Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-02-15
THE DRUMIDI FRISCO.
Various Suggestions to the SUBJ
ject of the Last Panel.

Architect Clark of the Capitol has re-
ceived a photograph of the painting OF
1.-The Driving of the Last Spike" on the
Central Pacific railroad. He sent for 1t for
the purpose of submitting ii to the consid
Grafton of the Senate and House commit
tee on the library. This committee, which
is joint committee, and of which Senator
Bansbrough is chairman, has charge of all
art matters in connection with the Capitol.
By that power they have charge of the
completion of the historical frieZe in the
belt of the rotunda of the Capitol, and it
is Mr.. Clark's desire to have that uncom-
pIeted work finished as promptly as possi-
BILE. 1t has been nearly ten years since any
work has been done on the frieZe, though
up to that time the work had been done
with comparative promptness.
Brum.di, the artist who designed the work
and had completed nearly one-nalf of it
when he died, had prepared several
sketches for the closing panels, and had
reason to believe that they had beea ap-
proved and adopted, but in this he was mis-
taken. 1t is not yet certain what scenes in
American history will be depicted in the
last two panels. When Costiginni was Sc
lected to complete the work, which was in
tended to illustrate the first one hundred
years of American history, he found char
coal sketches for more panels than exist
ed, and he was at loss to know how to
proceed
He explained the condition of things to
| the committee of the library, and askec
| their Judgment to what ne should do.
| The committee told him TO go ahead with
the sketches that Brumidi had prepared,
and leave the last three for future consid-
Grafton. Accordingly, he weat on until he
| reached THE Finding of Gold in Califor-
| MA" which he completed. This is the last
| work which was done, and this was COM
| pleted nearly ten years ago. Since then
| thousands and thousands have looked up
\ into the swinging scatfolds, supposing all
the time that work was going on, but not a
| thing has been done, or will be done, until
the library committee give the order. Mr..
Clark thinks that the library committee viii
| order that the next panel show THE Driving
of the Last Spike" depicting the scene when
| the Atlantic and Pacific were connected with
| the iron tie. There will remain one more
| panel. Various suggestions have been made
| ly artists and others in connection with IL,
| and many are yer to be made. 1t has been
| generally believed that ii Will contain, as a
| rounding up of the country's century, q
| condensed representation of the principal
| buildings of the centennial exposition, or
| something else intended to illustrate tina,
| important event and that tie country ccle.
| brated in public way its centennial.
But the exact form by which this idea, II
| it is indeed finally adopted, will be repre-
| scented is as yet uncertain. A suggestion
| has recently been made to the library cou-
| mittee that the carrying out Of the idea OF
| the centennial should be made the subject
| of a competition among artists, and that q
| prize Ne offered sufficiently large to Undue,
| the best American artists to compete. This
| plan may be adopted but it is as yet onl,
| conjecture. Another suggestion has beer
| made that the last panel should show, In
| some way, that the country has passed
through a civil war, and was stronger aftel
the war than before.