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Jul. 2nd, 2013
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Jul. 2nd, 2013 09:00 pmWith the passing of my friend ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
ankhorite, I'm reminded of the pictures I took while visiting her, and that I still haven't made it around to positing. I'm really happy that she got to see them over our late-night sessions gathered in front of my laptop as I showed her the results of my day's wanderings around the capitol. But I really want you all to be able to see them too.
I decided to start with my photos of the Library of Congress, which I think were some of her favorites of my sets. I think we both had a deep appreciation for the idealism behind the creation of such a place of knowledge.
---
I'm not sure where to begin talking about the Library of Congress. When I walked into the grand hall, I felt the way I imagine people of strong faith do when they walk into a place of worship. The Library of Congress is a temple to the knowledge of humanity.
Done in an unbelievably flamboyant Classical Greek Revival Style, the building can't fail to make an impression. Every inch seems to be covered in paint, murals, art, quotations, and marble embellishments.
From quotations honoring authors and writers ("The chief glory of every people arises from its avthors.") to an imposing mural of Minerva, goddess of Wisdom, holding a scroll listing dozens of fields of human inquiry, the library appeals directly to the Western conception of a millennium-spanning tradition of science and discovery that began with the likes of Plato and Aristotle.
Thoughtful in the Grand Hall - Library of Congress
Copyright Stormdog 2009
ankhorite, I'm reminded of the pictures I took while visiting her, and that I still haven't made it around to positing. I'm really happy that she got to see them over our late-night sessions gathered in front of my laptop as I showed her the results of my day's wanderings around the capitol. But I really want you all to be able to see them too. I decided to start with my photos of the Library of Congress, which I think were some of her favorites of my sets. I think we both had a deep appreciation for the idealism behind the creation of such a place of knowledge.
---
I'm not sure where to begin talking about the Library of Congress. When I walked into the grand hall, I felt the way I imagine people of strong faith do when they walk into a place of worship. The Library of Congress is a temple to the knowledge of humanity.
Done in an unbelievably flamboyant Classical Greek Revival Style, the building can't fail to make an impression. Every inch seems to be covered in paint, murals, art, quotations, and marble embellishments.
From quotations honoring authors and writers ("The chief glory of every people arises from its avthors.") to an imposing mural of Minerva, goddess of Wisdom, holding a scroll listing dozens of fields of human inquiry, the library appeals directly to the Western conception of a millennium-spanning tradition of science and discovery that began with the likes of Plato and Aristotle.
Thoughtful in the Grand Hall - Library of Congress
Copyright Stormdog 2009
