War
Freedom, also known as Columbia, is directly below George Washington in the personification of War. The scene depicts a woman fighting for liberty with a raised sword, a cape, and a helmet and shield(in the colors of the U.S. flag) trampling figures representing Tyranny and Kingly Power. To Freedom’s left assisting her is a fierce bald eagle(the national birdof the United States) carrying arrows and a thunderbolt(reminiscent of the arrows carried by the eagle in the Great Seal of the United States).Science
Minerva, the Roman goddess of crafts and wisdom, is portrayed with helmet and spearpointing to an electrical generatorcreating power stored in batteriesnext to a printing press, representing great American inventions. American scientists and inventors Benjamin Franklin, Samuel F. B. Morse, and Robert Fultonwatch. In the left part of the scene a teacher demonstrates the use of dividers.Marine
This scene shows Neptune, the Roman sea-god, with trident and crown of seaweedriding in a shellchariot drawn by sea horses. Venus, goddess of love born from the sea, is depicted helping to lay the transatlantic telegraph cablewhich ran from North America to the Telegraph Field in Ireland.^[2] In the background is an ironclad warshipwith smokestacks.Commerce
Mercury, the Roman god of commerce, with his winged petasosand sandals and a caduceus, is depicted giving a bag of gold to American Revolutionary Warfinancier Robert Morris. To the left, men move a box on a dolly; on the right, the anchorand sailors lead into “Marine”.Mechanics
Vulcan, the Roman god of fire and the forge, is depicted standing at an anvilwith his foot on a cannon next to a pile of cannonballs. A steam engine is in the background. The man at the forge is thought to represent Charles Thomas, the supervisor of ironwork during the construction of the Capitol dome.Agriculture
Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture, is shown with a wreath of wheatand a cornucopia, symbol of plenty, while sitting on a McCormickmechanical reaper. The personification of Young America in a liberty capholds the reins of the horses, while the goddess Floragathers flowers in the foreground.