Design for the U.S. Capitol, East Elevation, by Dr. William Thornton, ca. 1793–1797

A competition was held to design the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. In Thornton’s winning design, a domed center section (modeled after the Pantheon in Rome) contains a ceremonial rotunda and flanking wings, House and Senate legislative chambers, committee rooms, and a library. The Capitol was vast by American standards; it covered an area 10 times bigger than Independence Hall in Philadelphia.

Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress