The Carpet in the Senate Chamber of Congress Hall

Classical symbolism appeared all throughout the early republic - even on carpets!

NPS illustration

Although the fate of the original Senate carpet in Congress Hall is unknown, this modern reproduction reflects the importance of Classical symbolism in American history and provides a glimpse into technological innovation in the early National period. The carpet’s central medallion features the Great Seal of the United States surrounded by a chain of state shields – with the shields linked together by the Classical symbols for Justice and Liberty. Classical motifs appeared throughout the early National period as Americans sought to make comparisons between their new nation and the ancient Roman Republic.

The original carpet was described in the 1790s as “a masterpiece of its kind.” It commanded visitors’ attention in the Senate Chamber, located on the second floor of Congress Hall from 1790 to 1800. The chamber’s fine furnishings included individual desks, red leather upholstered chairs, crimson silk damask canopies and window draperies, plaster decorations, a dentilled cornice, and the carpet – of the "Axminster kind." Hand-knotted, the original carpet was a technological marvel produced in Philadelphia. Today’s reproduction was manufactured in Spain.

Take a deep dive into the history of the original carpet.

What Did the Design Look Like?

The carpet had three symmetrical compartments:

• The United States Seal was the central motif, surrounded by a chain of the thirteen state shields. The symbols for Justice and Liberty united the chain.

• Two rectangular side panels contained collections of farming and fishing tools, proclaiming the abundance of natural resources in the new nation.

• Corn, wheat, melons, and flowers spilled out of cornucopias in the corners, representing the peace, prosperity, and plenty of the United States.

Take a Closer Look at the Design Elements...

• The Great Seal: The carpet's central medallion, the Great Seal of the United States, was adopted by Congress in 1782. The seal featured an eagle much less robust than the representation we are accustomed to seeing today. The eagle clutched an olive branch and arrows in its talons. Clasped in the eagle’s beak was a scroll with the Latin motto “E pluribus unum” or “out of many, one”.

• The Chain of States: Surrounding the Great Seal was "a chain formed of thirteen shields emblematic of each state." The chain symbolized bonding and strength.

• The Liberty Pole and Cap, and Balance of Justice: The 1791 description of the carpet describes the classical symbols for Liberty and Justice: "under the arms, on the Pole which supports the Cap of Liberty, is hung the Balance of Justice.”

• Cornucopias: The description of the Senate carpet in a newspaper indicated two cornucopias, symbols of peace and plenty. Some of the carpet’s cornucopias were filled with olive branches (traditional symbol of peace) as well as flowers.

• Farming and Fishing Tools: Rectangular panels on either side of the central panel depicted farming and fishing tools, boasting of American agriculture and commerce.

• Colors: The 1793 carpet repair bills reveal that part of the carpet had a black ground, and part had a green ground. The reproduction carpet contains about twenty-eight colors, all of which are based on Axminster colors of the 1770-1790 period.

Who Made the Carpet? Where Was the Carpet Manufactured? And When?

Most likely, the Senate carpet was designed and ordered sometime in 1790. It was not installed until Spring 1791.

Manufactured by immigrant William Peter Sprague at the Philadelphia Carpet Manufactory on North Second Street, this carpet was made at the first full-fledged commercial carpet factory in America. Sprague, an Englishman from Axminster, England, brought the technique of hand-knotting from England to Philadelphia. He used the technique for everything from small bedside carpets to at least two large carpets.

The Senate carpet was 22 by 40 feet and probably made in strips twenty-seven inches wide. Made of wool, these strips would have been sewn together lengthwise, which was an unusual method for making a hand-knotted carpet. Typically, Axminster carpets were manufactured in one piece.

How Much did the Carpet Cost?

The City and County of Philadelphia, later reimbursed by the state of Pennsylvania, paid William Peter Sprague £156.12.6 for the 132 ½ yards of carpeting he had made. At slightly more than a monetary pound per yard, this was an expensive carpet.

What Did People Say about the Carpet?

The carpet received its first public notice on March 5, 1791, in a satirical article in the Philadelphia Independent Gazetteer describing the furnishings of the room. It appears the author of the article thought of the Senators and the chamber as perhaps a little too aristocratic.

On June 6, 1791, a more complimentary article appeared in Dunlap's American Daily Advertiser describing at length the new carpet: “Thirteen Stars, forming a constellation, diverging from a cloud, occupy the space under the chair of the Vice-President. The AMERICAN EAGLE is displayed in the centre, holding in his dexter talon an olive branch, in his sinister a bundle of thirteen arrows, and in his beak, a scroll inscribed with the motto E PLURIBUS UNUM. The whole surrounded by a chain formed of thirteen shields, emblematic of each state.”

What Happened to the Carpet?

The Senate Chamber was enlarged in 1793. Now too small for the space, the carpet needed alteration. William Peter Sprague came in to enlarge the carpet and make repairs. Sprague added "a Black ground carpet 21 ½ yds," and "a Green ditto 20 yds," and "two small Carpets for each of the Corners." He and two boys spent a total of five days working in the chamber, sweeping, washing, and mending some areas of the carpet.

Sprague submitted an invoice on December 2, 1793 for £49.9.6 for "attending the cleaning carpets of the Senate room," and "fixing and repairing the same."

The carpet is no longer mentioned after 1793. In 1795, a public gallery was added to the Senate Chamber which would have required changes to the carpet, but the only mention of a carpet was by a Massachusetts Senator who indicated there was a woolen carpet in the chamber. He did not describe it. There was no mention of carpeting in connection with major floor work in the chamber - the floor being entirely removed and relaid - in 1796.

In 1800, the federal government moved to Washington, DC. In June of that year, coastal sailing ships transported Congress’ effects to the new capital city on the Potomac. The Senate carpet was not listed among the crates and boxes when they arrived at the Capitol. Keeping in mind the carpet belonged to the State of Pennsylvania (which had reimbursed the County and City Commissioners for their expenditures in 1791), it is understandable that it was missing from Congressional packing lists. However, there was no mention of it in Pennsylvania state accounts either. Perhaps it had simply worn out. The fate of the original carpet remains a mystery.

After much research, the National Park Service worked with partners to commission a reproduction in 1977, which is what visitors see today. The reproduction was made in Spain.

For Further Reading

Anderson, Susan H. The Most Splendid Carpet (Philadelphia, National Park Service), 1978.