The Library of Congress

I explored the Library of Congress in two trips. I took pictures.

On the first trip, I took a tour of the Jefferson Building and saw some exhibits. The Jefferson Building is said to be the most beautiful building in Washington D.C. I can believe it. The interior is richly packed with mosaics and sculptures and more, so many that they're impossible to digest. One is merely aware of their plentiful abundance.

My tour guide was excited, enthusiastic. After a professionally-made intro video, she showed us around, showing us the highlights of the exhibits as well as the famous, incredible, grand Reading Room that sadly we were not allowed to photograph.

I learned some odd facts. For instance, the Library of Congress's attic had a high school for congressional pages. (The pages needed their own school because the hours they work would preclude a normal school.) For budgetary reasons, it closed in 2011. Also, despite continually acquiring new buildings the Library of Congress doesn't have enough space. They get 22k new items a day. The Library is an omnivorous history-documenting machine.

On the second visit, I saw more exhibits in the Jefferson Building and also visited the Madison Building for yet more. Over the course of my visits, I saw:

• The Bible exhibition.
  • It includes a Gutenberg Bible--yes another (as if I haven't seen enough)--but this one is special: it's one of only three complete ones on vellum.
  • It also has the Giant Bible of Mainz, another large, old bible. The draftsman has amazing handwriting--the text looks printed. Also interesting: the tour guide told stories about how the monk dropped words to stay within the lines. This was probably not the best thing for readability.
• An exhibit on creating America. This exhibit shows rough drafts and final printed version of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. It's also about important documents/events from the time (such as Thomas Paine's Common Sense and the peace treaty with the British), the first three presidents, and America's relationship with the French revolution.
• Thomas Jefferson's Library, which he sold to the Library of Congress to re-jump-start its collection in 1815. I saw re-jump-start because the original Library of Congress collection was mostly burnt by the British in 1814. Though some of his books were lost to various later fires, the Library of Congress acquired replacements (identical editions) of the burnt books. The books are organized according to Jefferson's scheme. The Library of Congress hopes to complete the collection.
• An exhibit on exploring the early Americas. It has books, paintings, and objects about explorers in America, focusing on indigenous people (including the Incas, Aztec, and Mayas), Columbus's voyages (with documents by and about him), the Spanish conquest of Mexico, and the fight over Florida.
• An exhibit of old maps (technically part of the previous exhibit), including the first map that used the term America (1507) and the first map created in America of America after independence. Regarding the former, it's surprising that the cartographer's later map (1516) covering the same region is less accurate.
• A fun exhibit of cartoons ("graphic arts") in a variety of styles from all ages. Technically this is composed of three small exhibits: on the history/growth of comic art, on Herbert L. Block's political cartoons, and on using cartoons to explore human nature or simply cause laughter. Regardless, the exhibits are done well, with detailed and intelligent commentary.
• The Bob Hope gallery on entertainment and politics and the connections between them, with a video introduction by Stephen Colbert. Most of the displays cover people in and changes to the entertainment industry and news media before my time, but I connected with and enjoyed the recent clips in the video displays.
• An exhibit on I Love Lucy.
• An exhibit of false-color bird's-eye maps presented for their artistic effect. See the pictures. (This was the only exhibit where I was allowed to take pictures and wanted to.)
• An exhibit on the Gershwins that I didn't find particularly interesting, probably because I don't know much of their work.
• A display of drawings of Americans in Paris in the nineteenth century.

I spent three hours at the Library of Congress on my first visit and another two hours on my second visit.