By Isabelle Samudio, M.A. ‘25, Museum Studies
Unparalleled in the encyclopedic genre, the Iconographic Encyclopædia of Science, Literature, and Art comprises six volumes, with two dedicated to illustrations and the other four containing textual information. The phenomenal 12,000 illustrations were drawn in 1851 by artist Johann Georg Heck, which were then engraved onto 500 plates.
The Albert H. Small Washingtoniana Collection stewards a print originally found in Volume II of the Encyclopædia’s plates. The print compares the Capitol to other public buildings in the United States, Britain and Europe — each labeled and described in Volume IV of the illustrated Encyclopædia’s compendium. Ultimately, the Capitol’s inclusion in such a distinguished text signaled both the building’s architectural significance and the growing stature of the United States.
The Encyclopædia’s connection to D.C. extends beyond the Capitol’s inclusion. Originally in German, the text was translated into English and edited by Spencer Fullerton Baird, a professor of natural sciences at Dickinson College and, by 1878, the Smithsonian Institution’s second secretary. Like his groundbreaking work with the Smithsonian’s National Museum, Baird made the Encyclopædia more accessible to English audiences, adding tables of contents and indexes.
The Encyclopædia’s compendium contextualizes the Capitol as “the seat of the Congress and of the Supreme Court of the United States of North America.” It is grouped with other Neoclassical-style structures, based on comparable size and design. Reflecting its state in the early1800s, the Capitol is shown without its two wings and sculptural adornments. The next listed building, the Glyptothek, was published as a repository for the “treasures of art” collected by King Louis I of Bavaria. Now, it is considered Munich’s oldest public museum and the only museum in the world solely dedicated to ancient sculpture.
Most of the buildings on the page are economic exchanges, and some still exist today. The Paris Exchange was built on the command of Napoleon Bonaparte to bring all stock exchange activities together in one place. The New York Exchange endures as 55 Wall Street, sans its signature dome, and the London Exchange is now the Royal Exchange. The Ghent Exchange is not mentioned in the volume, but the original building of the University of Ghent appears and still stands today.
This page in the museum’s collection is but one of hundreds. The breadth of material covered is vast, and the volumes are easily accessible on the Internet Archive. There is even a modern re-imagining of the Encyclopædia created by Nicholas Rougeux.
An 1852 review of the Encyclopædia in the Christian Inquirer best sums up the work’s lasting appeal: “There is no realm of nature or art, no department of history, manners, or religion which is not amply illustrated.” The Capitol was no exception, and its central place on a page of noteworthy neoclassical architecture situated the comparatively young United States alongside powerful, established nation states.
About the Author
Isabelle Samudio graduated from GW with an M.A. in Museum Studies in May 2025. Interested in exhibition development and archival work, she worked as a curatorial assistant at the Albert H. Small Center for National Capital Area Studies during the 2024-2025 academic year.