National Archives building

Sculpture "What’s past is prologue"

Architect John Russell Pope placed four monumental statues around the National Archives Building. Each was cut from a single block of limestone weighing 125 tons.

"What’s past is prologue" is a quotation by William Shakespeare from his play The Tempest.

Photo 25, Nov 2011

National Archives building

National Archives statue "STUDY THE PAST," By Robert I. Aitken, 1933-1935.

Photo 27, Nov 2011

National Archives building

James Earl Fraser’s young female figure in "Heritage" holds a child and a sheaf of wheat in her right hand as symbols of growth and hopefulness. In her left hand she protects an urn, symbolic of the ashes of past generations. The base is inscribed, "The Heritage of the Past is the Seed that Brings Forth the Harvest of the Future." "Heritage" is on the Constitution Avenue side of the Archives Building.

Photo 29, Nov 2011

National Archives building

James Earl Fraser’s "Guardianship," on the Constitution Avenue side of the building, uses martial symbols, such as the helmet, sword, and lion skin to convey the need to protect the historical record for future generations. This sculpture is inscribed "Eternal Vigilance is the Price of Liberty."

Photo 34, Nov 2011