Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way

“Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way” by Emanuel Leutze is a massive painted mural currently displayed behind the western staircase of the House of Representatives chamber in the United States Capitol Building. 

The picture depicts a group of pioneers on their journey westward as they catch their first glimpse of the “promised land” of California.

The painting and the mural symbolize the belief that the United States was destined for Western expansion beyond the colonies along the east coast.

The image depicts pioneers, mountain guides, wagons, and mules to suggest a divinely ordained pilgrimage to the western frontier. The picture is full of symbolism.

The pioneers stand at the threshold of the Promised Land, ready to fulfill what was believed to be God’s plan for the nation.

The surging crowd of figures represents the births, deaths, and battles fought as European Americans settled the continent coast to coast.

Small scenes within the detailed border link the pioneers to biblical, mythical, and historical figures.

On the left is included Moses parting the Red Sea, the Greek myth of Jason and the Argonauts sailing home with the Golden Fleece, and the Three Wise Men traveling to Bethlehem.

The right border includes Christopher Columbus, the spies of Eshcol, who explored Canaan before the Israelites arrived, and Hercules splitting a mountain to create the pillars of Gibraltar.

The bottom border shows the explorers Daniel Boone and Captain William Clark with views of San Francisco Bay.

The painting takes its inspiration from George Berkeley’s Verses:

Westward the course of empire takes its way;
The first four Acts already past,
A fifth shall close the Drama with the day;
Time’s noblest offspring is the last.

Emanuel Leutze was a German American history painter best known for his painting “Washington Crossing the Delaware.”

Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way

• Title:                Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way
• Known as:       Westward Ho
• Artist:              Emanuel Leutze
• Year:                1861
• Medium:         Oil on canvas
• Dimensions:    33.25 × 43.375 in (84.5 × 110.2 cm)
• Type:               History Painting
• Museum:        Smithsonian American Art Museum

Emanuel Leutze

• Name:          Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze
• Born:            1816 – Schwäbisch Gmünd, Württemberg, German Confederation
• Died:            1868 (aged 52) – Washington, D.C., U.S.
• Nationality: German American
• Notable works:
  • Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way
  • Washington Crossing the Delaware
  • Columbus Before the Queen

“Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way”

Virtual Tour of the Smithsonian American Art Museum

• “Skating in Central Park” by Agnes Tait
• “Buffalo Hunt on the Southwestern Prairies” by John Mix Stanley
• “Surrender of a Confederate Soldier” by Julian Scott
• “Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way” by Emanuel Leutze
• “The Headless Horseman Pursuing Ichabod Crane” by John Quidor

Envisioning Manifest Destiny during the Civil War

A Tour of the Museums in Washington, D.C.

• National Gallery of Art
• National Museum of American History
• National Air and Space Museum
• National Museum of African American History and Culture
• National Museum of Natural History
• National Portrait Gallery
• Smithsonian American Art Museum
• The Phillips Collection
• Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
• International Spy Museum

“Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way”

A Tour of History Paintings

• “Washington Crossing the Delaware” by Emanuel Leutze
• “The Family of Darius before Alexander” by Paolo Veronese
• “Las Meninas” or “The Ladies-in-Waiting” by Diego Velázquez
• “The Third of May 1808″ by Francisco Goya
• The Second of May 1808 – The Charge of the Mamelukes by Francisco de Goya
• “The Fighting Temeraire” by Joseph Mallord William Turner
• “Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way” by Emanuel Leutze
• “The Capture of the Hessians at Trenton, December 26, 1776″ by John Trumbull
• “The March to Valley Forge” by William B. T. Trego
• “The Massacre at Chios” by Eugène Delacroix
• “The Execution of Lady Jane Grey” by Paul Delaroche
• “Cromwell in Battle of Naseby” by Charles Landseer
• “The Surrender of Breda” by Diego Velázquez
• “Hannibal and his Army Crossing the Alps” by J. M. W. Turner
• “The Death of Marat” by Gioacchino Giuseppe Serangeli after Jacques-Louis David
• “Oath of the Horatii” by Jacques-Louis David
• “The Coronation of Napoleon” by Jacques-Louis David
• “The Burning of the Houses of Lords and Commons by J. M. W. Turner
• “The Burning of the Houses of Parliament” by J. M. W. Turner
• “The Triumph of Cleopatra” by William Etty
• “Dempsey and Firpo” by George Bellows
• Floreat Etona! by Elizabeth Thompson
• Scotland Forever! by Elizabeth Thompson

The House’s West Grand Staircase

Westward the Course of Empire

~~~

“Westward the course of empire takes its way;
The first four Acts already past,
A fifth shall close the Drama with the day;
Time’s noblest offspring is the last.”
– George Berkeley

~~~

---

Photo Credit: 1)Emanuel Leutze [Public domain or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons By Wikipedia Loves Art participant “trish” [CC BY 2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5)], via Wikimedia Commons