This letter from Elena, written about six months before her father’s
death expressing fear at her father’s silence and concern about his
“private interest” is practically all we know about Elena, the daughter
Brumidi left behind in Italy. We do know, however, that she received her
half of the $500 paid by Congress to the Brumidi heirs, as this payment
is recorded in an old Department of Interior account book now in the
National Archives. This Archives’ record contains an itemized statement
of the actual expenditure of the $700 asked for in the Senate Bill
introduced four days after Brumidi’s death. Even the $200 set aside for
funeral expenses for the artist is accounted for by the Department of
Interior, item by item.
The old artist fell from the frieze scaffolding on October 1, 1879. Six
weeks later a petition, written in a strange hand but signed by Brumidi,
was sent to the Congress of the United States. It gives Brumidi’s
account of his accident and formally asks that he be put on the regular
payroll of the Capitol employees. The petition is preserved in the
Capitol’s Brumidi file and is given here in complete form:
Washington, D. C., November 17, 1879
_To the Senate and House of Representatives_:
Your petitioner, C. Brumidi, seventy-five years of age, the artist
of the Capitol, originally from Rome, Italy, but now for
twenty-seven years past a duly naturalized citizen of the United
States,
Respectfully represents--That upon the 1st day of October ult, he
was engaged at work upon the Historical Painting in fresco in the
Frieze of the Rotunda of the Capitol, and while sitting upon a
temporary scaffold and near the edge, the chair turned from under
him and threw him over. He caught the round of a ladder and
remained suspended by the strength of his arms for the space of
fifteen minutes, till officer Lammond descended from the top of the
Dome to the scaffold and called two men from the floor of the
Rotunda to assist in the rescue of your petitioner.
A miraculous escape from falling to the floor of the Rotunda a
distance of fifty-eight feet was effected but the fright and shock
to the nerves of your petitioner resulted in a
[Illustration: MR. AND MRS. C. BRUMIDI
Pictured here are the artist and his young American wife, Lola Germon,
taken from old photographs saved by Lola in her album of memories. The
originals have been cherished through the years by Mildred Thompson (of
Washington, D. C.), Lola’s great-grandniece. We believe that both
photographs were taken about the time of the Brumidi-Germon marriage,
around 1860. From 1860 to 1865 was Brumidi’s period of greatest
financial success in America and probably his years of greatest acclaim
and happiness. It was on the back of this photograph of Lola Germon that
her little boy Laurence chose to write, “This is my lovely Mamma.”]
very severe attack of asthma which now prevents him from constant
work upon the scaffold but he is able and desirous, however, to
continue work in his studio upon the Designs and Cartoons which of
course require to be made before they can be copied or painted upon
the walls.
The late Senator S. Foot, acting President of the Senate, at one
time placed your petitioner upon regular payroll of the Capitol
employees.
Now, therefore, in view of these facts that your petitioner became
injured in the performance of his duty, that he is unable to
perform continuous service on the scaffold, your petitioner
respectfully requests that the Honorable Committee will cause his
name to be again placed upon the regular Payroll of Capitol
employees in order that the work may be continued as the health of
the petitioner may permit him to work upon the scaffold in fresco
or upon the cartoons.
The petitioner hopes to obtain this benefit as a reward of the long
life spent in the service of the government.