Eight giant marble columns each support 10-foot-high allegorical female figures in plaster representing characteristic features of civilized life and thought: Religion, Commerce, History, Art, Philosophy, Poetry, Law and Science.

The 16 bronze statues set upon the balustrades of the galleries pay homage to men whose lives symbolized the thought and activity represented by the plaster statues.

Photography by Carol M. Highsmith

Examine up close the magnificent art and architecture found within the Main Reading Room.

EXPERIENCE THE INTERACTIVE