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Entrance Hall

Virtual Reality Panorama 454Kb

Dimensions: 27' 11"x 23' 9"; ceiling 18' 2"

Order: Ionic with modillions

Source: Palladio, with frieze ornaments from the Temple of Antoninus and Faustina, from Desgodetz, Les Édifices Antiques de Rome

Color: Whitewash, with a yellow-orange dado (the portion of the wall below the chair-rail); green floorcloth

Purpose of Room: Reception area and waiting room for visitors; a museum of American natural history, western civilization, and Native American cultures

Architectural Features: Balcony connects two mezzanine-level wings; green floorcloth ; ceiling pattern features eagle and stars pattern.

Furnishings of Note: Great Clock with case designed by Jefferson. Art on display included eleven copies of Old Masters paintings, as well as busts of prominent figures such as Alexander Hamilton and Voltaire. The Declaration of Independence was celebrated with the display of two engravings, one showing John Trumbull's famous depiction of the signing, and the other John Binn's embellished print of the text. Indian artifacts numbered at least forty, including pipes, clothing, domestic objects, and a Mandan buffalo robe depicting a battle scene. The room held natural history specimens such as antlers and bones, as well as maps, such as one of Virginia as surveyed by Jefferson's father, Peter Jefferson, and Joshua Fry. To accommodate many visitors, the room contained up to twenty-eight chairs.