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ART OF THE HOUSE CHAMBER
House Chamber
The Hall of the House is on the second floor of the Capitol and features magnificent art, including remarkable stained glass windows, splendid murals and original wooden desks. William B. Van Ingen (1858-1955), who like Abbey was a Philadelphia native, created 14 stained-glass windows for the House and 10 for the Senate. The 200-pound works of art are four feet in diameter and are framed in 24-karat gold leaf embellishments. Each features a theme, such as "Abundance," "Chemistry," "Natural Gas," "Justice," "Education," and "Bridge Building."
"a palace of art...
simple and elegant... The official floor of the House extends from the Speaker's rostrum to the bronze rail beyond the 210 varnished mahogany desks. On session days the chamber is the busy workshop of 203 legislators and 100 or more clerks, pages and staff assistants. On ceremonial days as many as 1,000 individuals can be accommodated. Leopold Stokowski once conducted the Philadelphia Orchestra from the well of the House. The Hall of the House, a vast room larger than two basketball courts and four stories high, is dominated by five murals by artist Edwin Austin Abbey. Abbey's "Reading of the Declaration of Independence" mural features the first public reading of the document in Philadelphia on July 8, 1776. This painting was not completed at the time of Abbey's death in 1911 and was finished by his assistant, Ernest Boyd. Abbey's "Penn's Treaty with the Indians" features William Penn who was granted all the land in Pennsylvania in 1681 by King Charles II of England. Penn and his heirs chose not to sell or settle any of the land without first buying the claims of Indians who lived on it. The painting is dominated by the great tree under which the scene takes place. The largest mural in the Capitol, "The Apotheosis of Pennsylvania," is located directly behind the Speaker's podium. This enormous central painting on the south wall spans 35 square feet and represents the Genius of State with 50 distinguished sons at her feet. Included in the painting are House members, explorers, pioneers, and intellectual, spiritual, military and industrial leaders. William Penn stands in the center of the work with Representatives Benjamin Franklin and Robert Morris. A list of those featured in the remarkable mural can be found here. Abbey painted "The Camp of the American Army at Valley Forge" which is hung on the back wall, and his "Passage of the Hours" is displayed on the ceiling. Abbey enjoyed an international reputation as an illustrator and muralist. Among the artist's admirers were Vincent Van Gogh and King Edward VII, who commissioned Abbey to paint his 1902 coronation portrait.
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In addition
to painting murals for the south corridor Van Ingen created stained
glass windows for the House and the Senate. "Abundance"
features a woman holding a cornucopia, and represents Pennsylvania's
background in farming and husbandry. "Liberty"
features a woman wearing the cap and flag of "Liberty" and
represents the values upon which William Penn founded the
Commonwealth.
