Commodore Uriah Phillips Levy

Nineteenth-century albumin print of a painted portrait. It depicts Commodore Levy holding a scroll inscribed Author of the Abolition of Flogging in the Navy of the United States. The uniform seen in this image features four sleeve stripes, signifying the rank of Captain. Levy died in 1862, several years prior to the adoption of this element, indicating that the portrait was painted posthumously, possibly in the 1870s or 1880s. Donation of Mrs. Charles Mayhoff. U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command Photograph.

The statue of Thomas Jefferson by Pierre-Jean David d’Angers located in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda was the first full-length portrait statue placed in the Capitol. Its bronze medium was unusual in early 19th-century America, where sculpture was more commonly carved in marble. The statue was presented by Uriah Phillips Levy to the Congress in 1834 as a gift to the American people.

Thomas Jefferson is depicted in his best known role as author of the Declaration of Independence. He stands in a dynamic contrapposto pose with his right hand holding a quill pen. The pen’s tip points to Jefferson's left hand, which holds the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson's famous words, which are readable, were created by pressing type into the statue's clay model. Two bound books—perhaps representing the collection that he donated to the Library of Congress—and a wreath, a symbol of victory, lie at his feet. The statue's pedestal is composed of marble and granite, in contrasting colors. The front inscription reads "JEFFERSON."