Art & Empire The Politics of Ethnicity in the United States Capitol, 1815-1860

"Art & Empire is an insightful & long overdue account ...[that] should be read not only by those interested in antebellum American culture but by anyone interested in the wider problem of official art in modern society."--Art Bulletin The subject matter & iconography of much of the art in the U.S. Capitol forms a remarkably coherent program of the early course of North American empire, from discovery & settlement to the national development & westward expansion that necessitated the subjugation of the indigenous peoples. In Art & Empire, Vivien Green Fryd's revealing culural & political interpretation of the portraits, reliefs, allegories, & historical paintings commissioned for the U.S. Capitol, the reader is given an enhanced appreciation for the racial & ethnic implications of these works. This latest contribution to the United States Capitol Historical Society's Perspectives on the Art & Architectural History of the United States Capitol series provides an affordable & accessible insight into one of our most visited, viewed, & revered national buildings. Professor Fryd demonstrates how the politics of our history is written in stone & painted on the walls of these hallowed halls. "Art & Empire is a fine cultural history, well researched, well illustrated, & illuminating." --The Journal of American History.Fryd, Vivien Green is the author of 'Art & Empire The Politics of Ethnicity in the United States Capitol, 1815-1860', published 2000 under ISBN 9780821413425 and ISBN 0821413422.