Elliott is curator of the U.S. House of Representatives. Where are you from? How did you get to D.C.?
I was born and reared in Alexandria. It was an inside-the-Beltway childhood. We talked about ridiculously wonky issues around the table — bowls of ice cream melting while we jabbed our spoons in the air, sparring over how to preserve spotted owl habitats on government land. I became an art historian because I also haunted the Smithsonian museums as a kid.
What does the curator do for the House?
I get to take care of some of America’s great treasures here at the House of Representatives. And they are both treasures and part of the work of Congress — just like the Capitol itself is both a temple of democracy and a working building. Some art and artifacts are over two centuries old. My job is to make sure that they are in good shape now, and that they will be in good shape in another 200 years. I also collect objects that reflect the modern House. For example, we have in the collection a ball from the annual congressional baseball game.
What’s your favorite piece? Why?
Next time you turn on C-SPAN, look for a little silver curiosity on the House rostrum, just to the left of the speaker. That’s a silver inkwell stand, and it’s one of the oldest objects in the Capitol. After the British burned Washington in 1814, the House had to rebuild and reconstitute itself. It commissioned that piece to serve notice that it would take more than pesky British soldiers to topple this nation. Less than a decade later, that inkstand was so well-known that Speaker Henry Clay included it in his own portrait. I love that even though the House doesn’t use quills anymore, every day that inkstand is taken out and placed on the rostrum, a reminder of the institution’s long history.
— Scott McCabe
