Cheezy the Wiz
Socialist In A Hurry
When architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe was hired to tinker with the design for the United States Capitol Building in 1792 (the original design was by contest submission, in which Latrobe did not compete), one of the things he added were these:
Latrobe was all about taking Old World things and making them American, as well as trying to instill a sense of unique Americaness for citizens of the new Republic to take pride in. This is part of the reason for the rise of the Federal Style in the Early Republican Era as the default architectural style for large constructions, most notably government buildings, but also banks, universities, and even cathedrals; by emulating the Greek and Roman architectural styles, Americans sought to portray themselves as a new Republic, equal in greatness and potential to that of ancient Rome and Greece.
As part of a further Americanization of this theme, Latrobe created the capitals you see above, and integrated them into the architecture of the Capitol Building. Essentially, it is a modification of the Corinthian Order, but instead of acanthus leaves decorating the capital, Latrobe used either half-husked corn, or flowering tobacco plants, two staples of American life and the American economy. Whether or not Latrobe's capitals were meant to start a new American Architectural Order, or whether they are merely experimental is uncertain. What is certain is that he did not use these capitals anywhere else. He did, however, make this comment to Thomas Jefferson in 1809:
"These capitals during the summer session obtained me more applause from members of Congress than all the works of magnitude or difficulty that surround them. They christened them the 'corncob capitals'."
Perhaps he designed them with the specific intent of inspiring Washington lawmakers to remember the concerns of the common man while drafting legislation, or perhaps he was testing the waters for acceptance of a new Order in the making. Whatever the case was, Latrobe's capitals were destroyed by fire in 1814, along with much of Washington D.C., when she was set alight by invading British forces.
The psychology of creating an American Order based on the three Orders of Antiquity should not be overlooked. As stated earlier, American architects, Latrobe in particular, but others as well, sought to link the new Republic with those of Antiquity by emulation of construction, as did painters by emulating the Grand Manner of Painting, a subset of Baroque art which seeks to instill values in society by providing a point of emulation from ancient history; allusions to heroes such as Germanicus, Julius Caesar, or Aeneas; men who sacrificed for the good of their country, were not uncommon. By taking the most visual aspect of ancient art, the Architectural Order, and modifying it to become uniquely American, Latrobe excellently played to this sort of psychological association that he, and men like Jefferson, were looking for.
My question to you is, should the United States have expanded this idea of the American Order into a national icon, to adorn the columns of government buildings the land over? Is the psychological impact of founding a uniquely American canon in the pattern of antiquity being overplayed, or was Latrobe correct, either purposefully or incidentally, in letting the horse lie?
Latrobe was all about taking Old World things and making them American, as well as trying to instill a sense of unique Americaness for citizens of the new Republic to take pride in. This is part of the reason for the rise of the Federal Style in the Early Republican Era as the default architectural style for large constructions, most notably government buildings, but also banks, universities, and even cathedrals; by emulating the Greek and Roman architectural styles, Americans sought to portray themselves as a new Republic, equal in greatness and potential to that of ancient Rome and Greece.
As part of a further Americanization of this theme, Latrobe created the capitals you see above, and integrated them into the architecture of the Capitol Building. Essentially, it is a modification of the Corinthian Order, but instead of acanthus leaves decorating the capital, Latrobe used either half-husked corn, or flowering tobacco plants, two staples of American life and the American economy. Whether or not Latrobe's capitals were meant to start a new American Architectural Order, or whether they are merely experimental is uncertain. What is certain is that he did not use these capitals anywhere else. He did, however, make this comment to Thomas Jefferson in 1809:
"These capitals during the summer session obtained me more applause from members of Congress than all the works of magnitude or difficulty that surround them. They christened them the 'corncob capitals'."
Perhaps he designed them with the specific intent of inspiring Washington lawmakers to remember the concerns of the common man while drafting legislation, or perhaps he was testing the waters for acceptance of a new Order in the making. Whatever the case was, Latrobe's capitals were destroyed by fire in 1814, along with much of Washington D.C., when she was set alight by invading British forces.
The psychology of creating an American Order based on the three Orders of Antiquity should not be overlooked. As stated earlier, American architects, Latrobe in particular, but others as well, sought to link the new Republic with those of Antiquity by emulation of construction, as did painters by emulating the Grand Manner of Painting, a subset of Baroque art which seeks to instill values in society by providing a point of emulation from ancient history; allusions to heroes such as Germanicus, Julius Caesar, or Aeneas; men who sacrificed for the good of their country, were not uncommon. By taking the most visual aspect of ancient art, the Architectural Order, and modifying it to become uniquely American, Latrobe excellently played to this sort of psychological association that he, and men like Jefferson, were looking for.
My question to you is, should the United States have expanded this idea of the American Order into a national icon, to adorn the columns of government buildings the land over? Is the psychological impact of founding a uniquely American canon in the pattern of antiquity being overplayed, or was Latrobe correct, either purposefully or incidentally, in letting the horse lie?
