Wisconsin Capital Rotunda Medallion
The Capitol of Wisconsin, in Madison, is the tallest of all the state capitols. In fact, when built (completed 1917) it was planned to be taller than the capitol of the United States! However, a few inches were shaved off at the last moment, as it was deemed inappropriate for a state capitol to be taller than the nations capitol. Inside the rotunda, looking straight up to the top, is this medallion: “A major point of interest in the Capitol rotunda is a beautiful ceiling decoration done by the distinguished artist, Edwin Howland-Blashfield. This masterpiece entitled “Resources of Wisconsin” shows a female figure as “Wisconsin”. She is located centrally in the painting, enthroned upon clouds and wrapped up in the American flag.” I did not use a tripod to take this photo (88mm f/5.6, 1/8 sec at ISO 800), which came out amazingly sharp as it is almost 200 ft. above the floor, in low light conditions!
