Genius with telescope Library of Congress

The Library of Congress Building or the Jefferson Building is the oldest of the four United States Library of Congress buildings, built between 1890 and 1897 in Washington, DC. It is located on First Street SE, between Independence Avenue and East Capitol Street. The new building was needed because of the Copyright Law of 1870, which required all copyright applicants to send to the Library two copies of their work. This resulted in a flood of books, pamphlets, maps, music, prints, and photographs. After Congress approved construction of the building in 1886, it took eleven years to complete. The building's main architect was Paul J. Pelz, born in Prussian Silesia, initially in partnership with John L. Smithmeyer, a native of Vienna, Austria, and succeeded by Edward Pearce Casey during the last few years of construction. More than fifty American painters and sculptors produced commissioned works of art. The building opened to the public on November 1, 1897, met with wide approval and was immediately seen as a national monument. The building name was changed on June 13, 1980 to honor former U.S. President Thomas Jefferson.

Kenyon Cox (1856-1919) was an American painter, illustrator, and writer. He was born in Warren, Ohio, and studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Cox was a leading figure in the American Renaissance movement, which sought to revive classical art and architecture in the United States. He was known for his murals, which were commissioned for public buildings such as the Library of Congress and the Wisconsin State Capitol. Cox also wrote extensively on art, including a book on the history of painting and a collection of essays on aesthetics. He was a member of the National Academy of Design and the American Academy of Arts and Letters.