Civic Primer.

The article discusses mural paintings in the 1897 U.S. Library of Congress building in Washington, D.C. in relation to the civic art movement in the U.S. The author describes the government's commission of a mural program for the building, including "The Evolution of Civilization" by Edwin Blashfield. Specific topics include the Library of Congress as a site of civic instruction and engagement, the role of mural painting in late 19th-century Progressivism and reform, the influence of the European Renaissance on American artists, and a photographic survey of public schools by Frances Benjamin Johnston. Other muralists discussed include Edward Simmons, Charles Sprague Pearce, and John White Alexander.