Page 102 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Washington, DC

100  W ASHINGT ON , DC AREA B Y AREA

u Smithsonian American Art Museum
(SAAM) and the National Portrait Gallery

Nowhere in Washington is the city’s penchant to copy Greek
and Roman architecture more obvious than in the former US
Patent Office Building, now the home of the Smithsonian
American Art Museum (SAAM) and the National Portrait
Gallery (NPG). The wonderfully ornate 1836 building was
converted into the twin museums in 1968. The SAAM contains
a permanent collection of works by more than 7,000 American
artists. The NPG is America’s family album, featuring paintings,
photographs, and sculptures of famous Americans. The two
museums are joined by a glass-covered courtyard.
Facade of the building, housing the main
entrance to both galleries
. Achelous and Hercules
This painting (1947) by Thomas Hart Benton (1889–1975) is
a mythological analogy of early American life. Interpreted in
many ways, it is widely accepted that Hercules represents man
taming the wild, then enjoying the results of his labors.

KEY
1 An African-American man is
depicted climbing over a fence into
the idealized equality of America.
2 Hercules tries to capture the bull.
3 Achelous, the river god, appears
as a bull being wrestled by Hercules,
representing the struggle of the
American people.
4 Hercules is about to break off
the bull’s horn.
5 The horn is transformed into
a cornucopia, or horn of plenty, . Among the Sierra Nevada, California
symbolizing America as a land Albert Bierstadt painted this Western landscape
of abundance and opportunity. in 1867–8. He was later criticized by some for not
6 The man working in the field offering a topographically correct view of the West.
represents the people of America,
enjoying the fruits of the land
after laboring.

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