The "Tentative Sketch of the Clock Tower Complex, including Grant, Sherman, and Sheridan Halls," Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, by Maj. Gen. J. Franklin Bell, February 1908, is an example of a design for a major military improvement. This complex structure began in 1859 with the construction of two simple arsenals, Sherman and Sheridan Halls. Over the years both buildings were redesigned to serve as educational facilities for the training of professional officers for the United States Army. This early twentieth-century facade design shows the addition of Grant Hall and Clock Tower connecting the

old converted arsenal build

ings. The new design in

cludes a segmental

dome, pediments, cornices, moldings, porches, and other architectural enhancements to create a stylish facade for what was then called the Army Service Schools. Among the other designs for military improvements in the show is Capt. Robert E. Lee's "Map of the Site of Fort Macon with the Works Projected for its preservation." Lee, the renowned commander of the Confederate Army during the Civil War, began his military career as

an army engineer.

Witnesis

"the Progress of Science and the Useful Arts," as stated in the Constitution of the United States, by protecting the rights of inventors. Until 1877, patent applicants routinely submitted drawings of their inventions with their applications. The National Archives holds more than 126,000 patent drawings and hundreds of thousands of engineering drawings.

The "Standard Plan Parachute General Arrangement and Details" by S. D. Kehler for the Bureau of Construction and Repair, U.S. Navy, dated May 22, 1918, is an example of the military's use of science and technology to protect the lives of those who flew airplanes, balloons, and dirigibles. Early para

chutes were unreliable, bulky, and

The drawing of the "New Custom House, New Orleans, La." by Alexander T. Wood is a design for a nonmilitary improvement. When completed, it was the largest federal structure in the country. The unusually long construction period (1847-1881) was due to changes in supervising personnel, a sinking foundation, the outbreak of the Civil War, and questions about the overall design itself.

Scientific and engineering drawings are a visual record of American technological progress, both civilian and military. Patent drawings reflect the federal government's continuing responsibility to promote

weighed up to forty pounds. One of several patent drawings in the exhibit is William A. Deitz's 1867 design for his "Improved Boot." Deitz, an African American, claimed his design made it easier to get the boot on and off the foot. Elias Howe's sewing machine patent drawing dated 1846 is also displayed. These are examples of utility patents issued to those who have invented a new machine, method, or material or developed a new and useful improvement not known to others.

While utility was the driving force behind most federal design drawings, many of the drawings in

"Designs for Democracy" can be appreciated as works of art. This was especially true of the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century, when the government employed or commissioned some of the nation's most prestigious architects and delineators to create beautiful renderings of buildings, ships, bridges, uniforms, and memorials. The holdings of the National Archives also include a wide variety of original graphic designs for posters, flags, costumes, uniforms, and even theatrical sets.

An untitled poster design by Fred Chance dates from the World War II period and exemplifies artistic expression in federal design. Between 1941 and 1945, the federal government produced millions of posters from thousands of original designs. They called on Americans to enlist in the armed forces, conserve scrap metals, buy war bonds, boost industrial production, and follow security regulations. Much of the original art became record material and can be found in the National Archives. The subtle tones of Alfred Rives's 1857 bridge drawings and the fine line work seen in the 1904 "Details for the Collector's Room, Custom

two more examples of exhibit items selected as works of art.

The first chronological section of the exhibit, "Symbols and Substance" covers the period 1780 to 1865, the end of the Civil War. Many of the pressing issues faced by the young United States of America are reflected in early designs. Surveyors and architects worked on designs for the capital city and for public buildings. American ship designers created swift, well-armed vessels to protect essential trade and Americans at sea. Military engineers updated fortifications along the coast and borders. One of the oldest designs on display is Joshua Humphreys' 1795 design for the Hull of the U.S.S. Constellation and the U.S.S. Congress, two of the first six ships authorized by the Congress in 1794, the foundation of the national navy. Developing a new capital city was a complex task. Pierre L'Enfant's 1791 plan for the city of Washington did not provide adequate guidance for the development of the city's land-water boundary.To correct this problem, in 1797 Nicholas King, Surveyor of the City of Washington, modified L'Enfant's scheme by describing details for the orderly building of wharves that allowed street access to the Potomac River and Eastern Branch (Anacostia River) at set intervals. King's twelve drawings are

known as the "Nicholas King Wharfing Plans of the City of Washington," and one is included in the exhibit.

"Designs for Democracy" includes drawings by famous American architects Benjamin Latrobe, William Strick

land, and Robert Mills. Mills, a native of North Carolina and first American-born professional architect, designed many projects for the federal government. His Library and Science Building for the United States Military Academy at West Point dated 1839 is on display. His

"Proposed Improvement in the Hall of Representatives" attempted to improve the hall's acoustics by raising the floor and lowering the ceiling, ideas based on the French Chamber of Deputies in Paris. To improve the Senate chamber, Mills proposed a plan to enlarge the visitor gallery and add a special section for reporters. These innovative proposals were not implemented. The twin towers seen in "Metinicus [sic] Light House," designed by Alex Parres in 1848, are part of the eight primary navigation aids off the coast of Maine. NARA holds dozens of elegant watercolor designs of lighthouses located around the country. Among the thousands of nineteenth-century ship drawings at NARA is the 1858 drawing of the "U.S.S. Pawnee, Sheer and Deck Plan." To meet the requirements of having a draft of ten feet or less, designer John W. Griffiths modified the hull propor

tions, making the Pawnee considerably longer and broader than other vessels of its class.

The second section of the exhibit, "Grand Plans for a Growing Nation, 1866-1900," reflects the country's rapid growth and settlement of the American continent. To encourage westward expansion, the federal government instituted a variety of services and authorized several land offers. These programs required the design and construction of thousands of public improvements.As a result, dramatic bridges, tunnels, and modernized waterways were developed to link isolated rural communities with growing urban centers. Railroad and telegraph lines eased travel and communications. As new western states were admitted to the Union, the government needed post offices, courthouses, and other public buildings to serve its citizens. As America prepared to enter the

twentieth century, the federal government celebrated the country's achievement, wealth, and potential with new monuments, memorials, and expositions.

The 1866 U.S. Branch Mint in Carson City, Nevada, was the first building designed by Alfred B. Mullett after he became supervising architect of the Department of the Treasury. This Renaissance Revival-style stone facade has pairs of roundheaded windows and a center portico. In contrast to this restrained design, Mullett employed the exuberant Second Empire style in his 1871 design for the State, War, and Navy Building, now the Old Executive Office Building, next to the White House. In 1875 John P. Holland, an Irish immigrant, submitted a drawing to the U.S. Navy for an experimental fifteen-and-a-half-foot-long submarine torpedo boat. This design was not accepted, but Holland continued to work on his invention, and in 1900 the U.S. Navy commissioned the first true submarine, the U.S.S. Holland, named for its inventor. During the later part of the nineteenth century, many architectural and landscape proposals for extending the Capitol and its grounds were submitted to Congress. One of the more unusual and most colorful schemes was "Improvements at the Capitol Extension," offered by T. Enthoffer. It offered a picturesque landscape with winding paths and curving planting beds. This plan was not approved.

The final chronological section of the exhibit, "Designs for a New Century," presents designs from 1900 through 1982. The early twentieth century saw the volume of government design work grow. Most of the projects were similar to those that had been done before: federal courthouses, post offices, memorials, and exposition buildings. Three cataclysmic events altered the nature and scope of federal design work during the twentieth century: World War I, the Great depression, and World War II. During World War I, engineers, architects, and town planners mobilized their skills to meet the demands of "total war." To alleviate the Depression's suffering, President Franklin D. Roosevelt used government spending and activism to create a surge of fresh design opportunities. When the United States entered World War II in December 1941, art, design, architecture, and engineering were once again conscripted into a war effort. Federal designers created designs for ships, tanks, guns, aircraft as well as specially needed housing projects, insignias, uniforms, and posters. After the war, the federal government continued to use design talent to help achieve its postwar goals.

Among the pre-World War I items in the last section of the show is a 1911 design to honor President Abraham Lincoln. After some controversy, the Commission on Fine Arts chose West Potomac Park as the

site. "East Elevation of Lincoln Memorial" shows Henry Bacon's winning classical design inspired by the Parthenon atop the Acropolis in Athens, Greece. Bacon's standing statue of Lincoln was supplanted by one of a seated Lincoln designed by Daniel Chester French. "Plans for the Arlington Memorial Bridge" by architect William Mitchell Kendall, working for the famous firm of McKim, Mead, and White in 1923, is the largest drawing in the exhibit. It measures more than eleven feet long by two and one half feet high and occupies an entire wall at the entrance to the