Library of Congress: America Fostering the Arts & Industries tympanum in Washington, D.C.

tympanum

The America Fostering the Arts & Industries tympanum is a granite sculptural relief located on the Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. Designed by architects Edward Pierce Casey, J L Smithmeyer, Paul J Pelz, and sculptor William Boyd, it allegorically celebrates the nurturing of arts and industries in America. Positioned above the building's entrance at Independence Avenue and 1st Street SE, it is a notable example of late 19th-century monumental art. The tympanum is part of the Library of Congress's architectural heritage and is documented in key references on Washington's outdoor sculpture.