Presidential Portraits

Collections Introduction Permanent Collection Presidential Portaits Governors Portraits Mathews Murals WPA Murals Rotunda Statues Antique Furnishings Historic Flag Collection

George Washington 
This painting of George Washington that hangs above the dais in the Senate Chamber is a copy of the famous original by Gilbert Stuart and is attributed to Jane Stuart, his daughter. It is the oldest artifact in the Capitol. The painting was presented to the Senate in 1854. Legend has it that the painting was rescued from the Capitol's temporary home at the Sacramento County Courthouse during a great fire that year.

Abraham Lincoln
This portrait of Abraham Lincoln, painted by William Cogswell, overlooks the Assembly Chambers. Originally, an 1855 portrait of John Sutter, painted by California's first portrait painter, William Smith Jewett, graced the chambers. It was replaced in 1909 by the portrait of President Lincoln, which remains there to this day.