Washington Monument

One of the iconic structures in the memorial landscape on the National Mall, the Washington Monument obelisk defines the capital city skyline.

The Washington Monument, from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

From Arlington National Cemetery.

Renwick Gallery

Founded in 1846, the Smithsonian Institution is the world's largest museum and research complex--19 museums and galleries and nine research facilities.

The Renwick Gallery, a branch of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, features craft objects and decorative arts from the 19th century to the present. Its Grand Salon displays paintings from the museum's permanent collection hung salon style, reminiscent of a 19th century picture gallery.

A torchère in the Renwick, originally from France, sculpted by Alexander Falguiere and cast in bronze by Ferdinand Barbedienne around 1862.

Renwick Gallery, 1661 Pennsylvania Avenue N.W. at 17th Street, Washington, D.C.; www.americanart.si.edu.

U.S. Capitol

Located at the eastern end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the United States Capitol Building houses the meeting chambers of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Since 1793, the Capitol has been progressively rebuilt and extended.

The cast-iron dome of the Capitol was designed and constructed between 1854 and 1866 by Philadelphia architect Thomas U. Walter (the fourth of the 11 Capitol architects) and Montgomery C. Meigs, an Army Corps of Engineers captain. Walter devised a double dome scheme for the interior/exterior based on the Pantheon in Paris, embellished with several windows, brackets, pilasters, and columns. Thomas Crawford's bronze Statue of Freedom (1862) completes the design.

The Capitol's 19th century neoclassical architecture evokes ancient Greece and Rome.

Under the dome, the central Rotunda room's ceiling features The Apotheosis of Washington canopy fresco by Italian artist Constantino Brumidi. Painted in 1865, the fresco depicts George Washington flanked by female figures representing Liberty, Victory/Fame and the thirteen original states. Select figures were inspired by Renaissance painter Raphael's images.

The Rotunda's frescoed frieze below the windows was painted between 1877 and 1953 by artists Brumidi (the designer), Filippo Costaggini and Allyn Cox. The frieze illustrates events in American history from the landing of Columbus to the discovery of gold in California.

The Capitol Visitor Center is open to visitors from 8:30am to 4:30pm Monday through Saturday; www.visitthecapitol.gov. 

Passerelle Debilly

Completed in 1900 for the Paris Exposition Universelle, the Passerelle Debilly footbridge typifies (with the nearby Eiffel Tower) metal architecture of the turn of the twentieth century. Engineers Resal, Alby and Lion designed the bridge with a splendid triple arc span, the central span a full arc and the side spans made of half arcs.

Pavillon de Flore

The Pavillon de Flore at the west end of the Galerie du Bord de l'Eau (Waterside Gallery) originally formed the link between the Old Louvre's royal apartments and the Tuileries Palace. At the base of the Pont Royal, its composition is a lively contrast of sculpture and plain wall surfaces. 

St-Germain l'Auxerrois

Opposite the Louvre's Colonnade, St-Germain l'Auxerrois was the parish church of the Louvre and the Tuileries. Its exterior has extensive 15th century stone carving--balustrades, gables, consoles, and cornices embellished with leaves and flowers. In its side passageways, small foliated steeples suspend extraordinary gargoyles.