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The interior of the Rotunda is a showcase of America's history. There are eight paintings on the walls. Four of the pictures show revolutionary changes in US history and the other four show scenes of early exploration. The titles of these pictures are as follows:
This is a picture of the Landing of Columbus also in the Rotunda's interior wall. It was painted by John Vanderlyn on January 15, 1847.
Bibliography: 1. Scott, Pamela, Lee, Antoinette J., Society of Architectural Historians: Buildings of the United States: Buildings of the District of Columbia, New York, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1993
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Perhaps the
Capitols' most famous feature is the Rotunda. The Rotunda connects the Senate and House of
Representatives' wings. It has a circular layout with a 96 feet diameter
This is the picture of the Declaration of Independence on the interior
wall of the Rotunda. It was painted on the wall on March 4, 1819 by John Trumbull.
The Rotunda has a magnificent dome over top. In 1855, Congress voted to
replace the original dome, which was made of wood and copper, with one of cast iron,
which was designed by Thomas U. Walter. The original dome was approximately ninety-five
feet tall, but it was raised to about 190 feet. If you placed the Statue of Liberty
inside of the new dome, there would still be a couple of feet from the tip of the
torch to the top of the dome. 
During this time, Constantino Brumidi began to paint the inside of
the dome with a beautiful frieze of the Apotheosis of Washington. This frieze
is located at the top of the dome, and it shows a picture of George Washington
sitting with thirteen women, which represent the original colonies. Also, two
women are holding a banner which reads E Pluribus Unum, which is translated
roughly into, "Out of Many, One", or many can combine to create one force. In
addition, all along the inner rim of the dome are pictures of deities, which
all represent a different idea. Here is the list of the deities and what they
symbolize. 
Also
located in Capitol's dome, is a fresco which winds all the way around the dome.
Brumuidi was the one who created this artistic wonder. In order to paint the picture,
Brumuidi was suspended 180 feet from the ground to go and paint the rim of the
Rotunda. His masterful strokes made the fresco look as if they were statues. His
variations of light and texture really make the figures look like they pop out of the
wall. Unfortunately, his career was cut short in 1880 when he was 72 years old. During
his work, he slipped on the scaffold and hung helplessly, 58 feet from the ground.
He soon lost his strength and fell to his death. The painting was not completed when
he died, but was finally finished when his pupil, Filippo Costaggini, took over
the task. 
In 1863, Thomas Crawford added his statue titled Freedom
atop of the dome. Freedom is a cast bronze statue that is nineteen feet and six
inches tall, and weighs approximately 15,000 lbs. Her right hand rests upon the hilt of a
sheathed sword. In her left hand are a wreath of victory and a shield of America
with thirteen stripes. On her helmet, there are stars and a crest, which has an
eagle head, feathers, and talons. She also has a brooch with US written on it. She
stands proud on a cast-iron globe with E Pluribus Unum inscribed on it. The total weight
of the entire dome is almost 4,500 tons!