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VINTAGRAPH • WPA • WWII • YOU MEAN A WOMAN CAN OPEN IT?

Democracy's Dashboard: 1934

June 1934. "Nebraska State Capitol at Lincoln. House chamber." Note the electro-mechanical tally board, and voting controls decorated with medallions of Abraham Lincoln. Large-format negative by Gottscho-Schleisner. View full size.

June 1934. "Nebraska State Capitol at Lincoln. House chamber." Note the electro-mechanical tally board, and voting controls decorated with medallions of Abraham Lincoln. Large-format negative by Gottscho-Schleisner. View full size.

 

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Lincoln Lamp

It appears that the things with Lincoln are desk lamps all neatly folded down. On the right side of the aisle you can see toggle switches that if I may take a guess of what they are: one to light up the name for being present, one for yea, one for nay and one to turn on the desk light. What a beautiful chamber!

Got a light?

I think the items with the Lincoln medallions are really lamp shades; the lamps could probably be extended out of the desk on a vertical rod. You can see the ball chain for the switch coming out of the one just to the right of the aisle, closest to the camera. The object in the desk to the left of the lamp, with small knobs on it, might be the voting controls. (Or, given the era, it might be an inkwell or ashtray...) I think it's interesting that they didn't anticipate having more than 102 legislators when they installed that tally board.

At least in 2012, the lamps and the possible voting controls were still there. The tally board was somewhat modified but still there.

The only one

Nebraska is the only state that has only ONE legislative body --not a two-part senate AND house legislature, unicameral (spelling?) ONE legislative body.

It's the details

Check out the mural running just below the roof line, and the carved figures on either side of the tally board (the eternal farmer and his wife and child?). And those light fixtures, fantastic! The blackout curtains on the windows helped date it to WWII even before I saw "1943" in the caption. I absolutely love this architectural style (neoclassical? Greek revival? WPA public building?), where government buildings seem to invoke a kind of civic religiosity. Can you imagine a government or public space built like this today? It would be a cost-cutter's dream.

[There are no "blackout shades." The caption says 1934, not 1943. - Dave]

Only Nebraska

If I remember correctly, Nebraska is the only state in the country than has a unicameral legislature - only a House, no Senate, and it is also the only state legislature that is non-partisan. Seems to work for them.

Tight Fit

Maybe it's just the perspective, but the space between the rows seems pretty tight for the no doubt portly politicians that occupied the seats.

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