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1 1 (August 24, 2023)

handle is hein.crs/govemqe0001 and id is 1 raw text is: $ Congressional Research Service ~ Informing the legiative debate since 1914 Updated August 24, 2023 Statues and Busts in the U.S. Capitol: Collections and Authorities The U.S. Capitol is home to hundreds of works of art. Among them are a number of statues and busts, including the National Statuary Hall Collection and the Senate Vice Presidential Bust Collection, which account for most of the statuary on display in the U.S. Capitol building. These works of art arrive in the Capitol in different ways. For many years, Congress vested authority to acquire and place art in the Joint Committee on the Library (JCL). Current law provides that the JCL may be involved in the process of accepting future donations of art to Congress, pursuant to authority granted in 1872, particularly with regard to changes in the National Statuary Hall Collection, discussed below. In addition to those authorities, in 1988, Congress assigned responsibility to provide for works of fine art and other property for display in the Capitol to the Capitol Preservation Commission. Similar authorities were granted to the House and Senate through the House of Representatives Fine Arts Board, the Senate Commission on Art, and the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration for art in their office buildings and respective wings of the Capitol. National Statuary H all Collection Created in 1864, the National Statuary Hall Collection contains two statues from each state. Under the law, the JCL maintains final approval over the design of these statues. It is up to each individual state to choose who is honored and to pay for the design, creation, and delivery of a new statue to Washington, DC, and removal of an outgoing statue, which becomes the property of the state when it leaves the collection. In 2000, states were authorized to replace statues in the National Statuary Hall Collection. Eleven states have replaced a total of 12 statues. For a list of replaced statues, see CRS Report R42812, National Statuary Hall Collection: Background and Legislative Options. Figure 1 depicts the most recent additions to the collection: Harry Truman, from Missouri, and Willa Cather, from Nebraska. Senate Vice Presidential Bust Collection In 1885, the Senate authorized the acquisition of the first vice presidential bust for Henry Wilson, who served as the 18th Vice President (1873-1875), shown in Figure 2. In 1886, the Senate authorized placement of marble busts of each Vice President, in niches of the Senate chamber. In 1947, oversight of the acquisition of vice presidential busts was transferred from the Senate Committee on the Library to the Committee on Rules and Administration. Each bust is acquired by the Architect of the Capitol, with the committee's approval. Figure 1. Most Recent Additions to the National Statuary Hall Collection: Willa Cather (NE) and Harry Truman (MO) Willa Cather (NE) Harry Truman (MO) Source: Architect of the Capitol. Other Methods of Acquiring Statues In addition to the established processes for the National Statuary Hall Collection and the Vice Presidential Bust Collection, Congress also acquires statues and busts by commission or receives art by donation. Figure 2. Bust of Vice President Henry Wilson Source: U.S. Senate, Senate Vice Presidential Bust Collection. Commission Artwork In some cases, Congress has chosen to commission, or purchase, artwork to commemorate an event or the importance of an individual to the United States. For S

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