THE BRUMIDI DESK
The Brumidi desk was given by the Italian artist to George Strieby at the time of the artist’s death. Mr. Strieby not only was a friend of Brumidi’s but was employed to help the artist with the huge mural in St. Aloysius Church. The desk was cherished by Mr. Strieby and at his death was given to his son, Philip. During the lifetime of Philip the Brumidi desk occupied an honored place in the young Strieby household. At Philip’s death a relative cleaned out the old desk, without the knowledge of Mrs. Strieby, and burned certain of Brumidi’s famous “cartoons” that had been used in making the Capitol frescoes in the President’s Room and which had been stored through the years in the secret compartment of the old artist’s desk. However, Mrs. Philip Strieby continued to watch over the desk with consistent vigilance—out of sentiment for her husband, her father-in-law and Brumidi.
THE CAPITOL DOME
The Dome of the Capitol Building of the United States actually symbolized to Constantino Brumidi “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” In return for that liberty and security this Italian refugee dedicated himself in service to his adopted country. He spent the last twenty-five years of his life “making beautiful the Capitol of the one country on earth in which there is Liberty.” His crowning effort was the huge canopy in color—4,664 square feet of concave fresco—covering the inside of the Dome of the Capitol of the country he had learned to love.
It was of great interest to Mrs. Strieby to learn that I had found the name of George W. Strieby listed as “fresco painter” in the two old Time Books in the Architect’s office at the Capitol which books consistently give the earnings both of Strieby and of Brumidi during the last three years of Brumidi’s life—1877, 1878, and 1879. In many instances the Strieby signature followed the Brumidi signature in the old Time Books in spite of an otherwise alphabetical listing of Capitol employees. All of this lends credence to the story of Mrs. Strieby that Philip’s father loved the old artist, helped him through his last hard years, and finally shared responsibility for the burial of Brumidi in Glenwood Cemetery.
The Brumidi desk is of Cuban mahogany on wild cherry, made around 1820. It has recently been restored with great skill by Charles McGahan who has given it a fine finish and a dignified beauty that speaks of Brumidi and his art.
The old desk is on display in Congressman Murdock’s office—held in trust for Mrs. Strieby until such time as it can be a part of a Brumidi memorial cared for by the Government of the United States. Mrs. Strieby died one week after urging the author to take over responsibility for the desk. She did not live to see the restored beauty of Brumidi’s last gift to Grandfather Strieby, but she was happy knowing that her obligation to Brumidi and to his good friend, Grandfather Strieby, had been fulfilled.