“In this connection can be mentioned a curious mistake common in this country, and that is the calling all and every decoration in oil, turpentine or glue that is put upon dry walls, real fresco.
“Fresco derives its name from fresh mortar, and is the immediate and rapid application of mineral colors diluted in water, to the fresh mortar just put upon the wall, thereby the colors are absorbed by the mortar during its freshness, and repeating this process in sections day by day, till the entire picture will be completed.
“This superior method is much admired in the celebrated works of the old masters, and is proper for historical subjects or classical ornamentations, like the Loggia of Raphael at the Vatican.”
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CHAMBER
A most revealing side light on the Cornwallis-Washington mural on the south wall of the House of Representatives Chamber, earlier referred to, is brought forth by an anonymous letter written on December 14,
SPRING
One of four pleasing groups on the ceiling of the Old House Agriculture Committee Room is this Brumidi conception of spring. The four seasons on this ceiling make up Brumidi’s first fresco in the Capitol Building—painted in 1855. What appear to be sculptured figures and attached moldings surrounding the center panel in this picture are actually painted decorative borders on a flat surface. It was probably the tender hues of spring on this ceiling that led Congressman Curtis to say in 1860, “What, sir, can be more beautiful than the fresco work in the room of the Agriculture Committee?”
1857, to Captain Montgomery C. Meigs, Superintendent of Construction, two days before the House met in its new “Hall of the House of Representatives.” The letter protesting this contract follows:
“Dear Sir: