Original Design for Statue of Freedom
The original by sculptor Thomas Crawford for the Statue of Freedom was not approved.
This design featured a female figure wearing a wreath of wheat and laurel and was described by Crawford as, “Freedom triumphant—in Peace and War.”
However, when he saw the drawing for the Capitol Dome, Crawford realized that his statue needed to be taller and stand upon a more prominent pedestal.
Original public domain image from Flickr