Capitol, Washington, D.C., East Front, Statue of Washington in Foreground

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The east front of the U.S. Capitol has long been the face the country presents to visitors, and this view puts George Washington's statue in the foreground, a detail that anchors the picture to the nation's founding rather than to the building alone. The Washington statue, a seated marble figure, stands on the grounds of the Capitol, and its placement near the steps makes it a useful point of reference for the scale of the building behind it. The east front was designed to face the rising sun and the city's approach from the east, which is why it became the setting for presidential inaugurations and other public ceremonies. Look closely at the statue's relationship to the sweeping lawn and the dome to see how the grounds were arranged to frame the Capitol as a symbol of the republic.

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