The Capitol's National Statuary Hall Collection Seriously Lacks Women
Old House Chamber, designated as National Statuary Hall by Lincoln in July 1864
When GenderAvenger Rosalie Pinkert visited the National Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol Building last year, she left feeling more disappointed than inspired. She sent her story to GenderAvenger, and we’re so glad she did, because it perfectly demonstrates the work that is needed to achieve gender balance everywhere, not just on conference stages or in board rooms.
Here’s what Rosalie said:
Has anyone ever mentioned the manel in the National Statuary Hall Collection that displays a statue from every state? The only woman in October 2019 (other than the permanent statue of Rosa Parks) is a woman who led the Temperance movement in her state. She is mocked when they have receptions in this room as they so cleverly place the liquor bar directly in front of her. This is a revolving display that each state may change at any time. But the number of women who have been honored in this room can be counted [on] one hand.
I felt so disappointed when I visited [sic] DC for the first time. Although Speaker Pelosi has her own large door and official sign, there’s nothing in that building that represents women. Sadly, the statue from my home state chose a Catholic priest known for his cruelty to indidgenious tribes.
The National Statuary Hall, where Rosalie visited, displays 35 statues, but the entire National Statuary Hall Collection, displayed throughout the Capitol, is made up of 100 statues, two from each of the 50 states, making the Collection one place where achieving gender balance is essentially a no-brainer. If each state donated one statue of a man and one of a woman, the gender breakdown would be 50/50. Alas, as Rosalie Pinkert pointed out, this is not what happens at all. The featured statues change from time to time, so I counted up the statues currently in the hall, and a whopping 91% of them are men, while only 9% are women. The number is more than the 1% Rosalie saw in 2019, but representation of women is still appalling. Oddly enough, this terrible number is featured in Capitol Hill Facts, as if it’s something to be proud of.
There is absolutely no reason for this to happen. To prove how easy equal representation can be, I created a list of 50 prominent women (because clearly finding men isn’t a problem), one from each state, who could, nay should, be included among the statues in the National Statuary Hall Collection:
1. Alabama: Hellen Keller (currently included)
2. Alaska: Elizabeth Peratrovich
3. Arizona: Frances Munds
4. Arkansas: Daisy Bates
5. California: Clara Shortridge Foltz
6. Colorado: Dr. Florence R. Sabin (currently included)
7. Connecticut: Marian Anderson
8. Delaware: Annie Jump Cannon
9. Florida: Mary McLeod Bethune
10. Georgia: Margaret Mitchell
11. Hawaii: Patsy Mink
12. Idaho: Betty Penson-Ward
13. Illinois: Frances E. Willard (currently included)
14. Indiana: Gene Stratton-Porter
15. Iowa: Carrie Chapman Catt
16. Kansas: Linda Brown
17. Kentucky: Rose Will Monroe
18. Louisiana: Sophie B. Wright
19. Maine: Margaret Chase Smith
20. Maryland: Bertha Sheppard Adkins
21. Massachusetts: Susan B. Anthony
22. Michigan: Vernie Merze Tate
23. Minnesota: Maria Sanford (currently included)
24. Mississippi: Ida B. Wells
25. Missouri: Edna Gellhorn
26. Montana: Jeannette Rankin (currently included)
27. Nebraska: Grace Abbott
28. Nevada: Sarah Winnemucca (currently included)
29. New Hampshire: Mary Baker Eddy
30. New Jersey: Margaret Bourke-White
31. New Mexico: Doña Dolores Chávez de Armijo
32. New York: Eleanor Roosevelt
33. North Carolina: Dorothy H. Andersen
34. North Dakota: Sakakawea (currently included)
35. Ohio: Agnes Merritt
36. Oklahoma: Wilma Mankiller
37. Oregon: Major General Jeanne M. Holm
38. Pennsylvania: Martha Graham
39. Rhode Island: Christiana Carteaux Bannister
40. South Carolina: Sarah Mae Flemming
41. South Dakota: Jessie Sundstrom
42. Tennessee: Wilma Rudolph
43. Texas: Miriam A. Ferguson
44. Utah: Mae Timbimboo Parry
45. Vermont: Ann Story
46. Virginia: Virginia Minor
47. Washington: Mother Joseph (currently included)
48. West Virginia: Katherine Johnson
49. Wisconsin: Georgia O’Keeffe
50. Wyoming: Esther Hobart Morris (currently included)
To the 41 states who have not currently chosen a woman statue to represent them in the National Statuary Hall Collection, have at it. I’ve done the work for you, so there is no excuse to choose only men standing in that hall on your behalf. Let’s make it so the next time Rosalie visits, there is an equal number of women and men statues to welcome her back.