"The Kansas State Capitol:
Arguments of Art"
A Moment in Time
Kansas Historical Society
August 2000
A monthly series from the Kansas Historical Society
The Kansas statehouse has been host to many exciting debates since its completion in 1903. Under construction for thirty-seven years, the grand structure was at the center of controversy from the beginning in 1866. Through the years, criticism followed the selection of building materials, murals, and statues.
Amid a daylong ceremony in 1866, a cornerstone was laid at the northeast edge of the building. A foundation for the east wing was connected soon after. By the end of a severe winter in 1867, the foundation was a mass of mud. Uncured limestone was identified as the cause of the failure. A new foundation of hard limestone from Geary County was re-laid. Through the process, the original cornerstone was buried where it remained until construction workers discovered it in 1950.
As major construction decisions were resolved, attention turned to the adornment of the interior and dome. Artists submitted design proposals and a statue of Ceres, mythological goddess of agriculture, was selected. The public was initially supportive of the decision. When
a recommendation was made to award a contract to a Chicago firm for $6,950, the public spoke
out. Ceres no longer was considered appropriate to grace the dome. Her morals were called into question. A Jayhawk, a Native American, and an urn were suggested to take her place. The controversy continues today. Currently a private fund drive is underway to install Astra, a
Native American Kansa or Kaw statue, in place of the light bulb on top of the dome.
A scandal erupted around 1900 when an Italian artist created a mural of partially clothed women in Greek style. The Populist Party hired Jerome Fedeli, an Italian-born painter who lived
in Kansas City, in 1898 to paint fresco murals on the fourth floor. He agreed to accept the job for
$1,600--for a net profit of $500.
The twelve-foot high murals in the cove panel of the dome depicted twelve Grecian women holding garlands of flowers and vases. The women were nude above the waist, covered
in flowers below. "Nude telephone girls," some newspapers reported. "Outrageous," said some Republicans.
When the Republicans regained control of the legislature, they approved new paintings to replace the Fedeli murals in 1902 at a cost of $7,600. The Italian artist died a few months before
his panel was scraped and repainted.
A Chicago firm created the new murals of fully-clothed male and female figures. Above the four wings were Knowledge, Plenty, Peace, and Power. In the corners were Temperance, Religion, Agriculture, Art, Science, a soldier representing the Civil War, and one from the Spanish American War.
A newspaper clipping is all that remains of the Fedeli murals.
In 1937, a Kansan was selected to portray the story of Kansas in murals on the second floor. John Steuart Curry, born near Dunavant in Jefferson County, was hired. Curry had
painted murals in several federal government buildings in Washington, D.C. Depicting the "historic struggle of man with nature," Curry created Tragic Prelude on the east and north wall of the east corridor, as the first chapter in the state's history. The famous painting made a legend
of John Brown, and included Coronado and Padre Padilla. View several of Curry's statehouse studies.
For the rotunda, Curry designed images depicting a Kansas homestead, barbed wire fences, the plagues, soil erosion, corn and wheat, and the great cattle drives, as the second
chapter in the history. Curry created Kansas Pastoral in the west wing, to show the "overpowering
sensuousness of the land at sunset and in its time of abundant harvest." This wing, the last
chapter, depicted contemporary Kansans of the 1930s.
As he painted, the public began to complain about the people and animals depicted in the murals. The controversies included criticism of the color of the Hereford bull, the length of the
woman's skirt, and the curling pig's tail. A disagreement between the artist and state officials
stopped the project. "The eight panels in the rotunda which comprise the book itself I have not
been allowed to accomplish because of the order of the Executive Committee forbidding the
removal of eight small pieces of Italian marble. . .the work in the east and west stands as
disjoined and un-united fragments. Because this project is uncompleted and does not represent
my true idea, I am not signing these works," Curry said.
The State Capitol is rich with many other stories about its architecture and artwork. Yet few photographs of the Capitol exist today. Kansas legislators recently passed a bill to begin an eight-year restoration of the state capitol. As architects develop plans, a renewed search for photographs begins. These images can help provide clues to the changes that have occurred during its history and can give direction
to the team responsible for restoring the building to its original splendor. Architects are
interested in photographs of the interior and exterior beginning in 1866.
Photographs of the building may exist in the collections of former senators, legislators, and state officials. They also may appear in the family albums of everyday Kansans who have
visited the Capitol over the years. If you know of the existence of any of these photographs, please contact either Nancy Sherbert, Kansas Historical Society, 6425 SW Sixth Avenue, Topeka KS, 66615-1099; 785-272-8681, ext. 303; FAX 785-272-8682; TTY 785-272-8683; www.kshs.org; or Alexis Radil, Kansas State Capitol, 300 W. Tenth, Topeka KS 66612; 785-296-3966; www.kshs.org/places/capitol.htm. The photographs can be donated to the Society or they can be loaned for duplication and originals will be returned to the owner.
Photo credit: Kansas State Capitol, Kansas Historical Society.
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