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Dr. Jill Biden chooses painting by Civil War-era Black artist in Capitol-Rotunda gift-giving ceremony

The painting was done by Robert S. Duncanson, "the best known African-American painter during the years of the Civil War."
Credit: NBC News
Capitol Rotunda gift-giving ceremony on inauguration day.

WASHINGTON D.C., DC — It was revealed on Wednesday afternoon that First Lady Dr. Jill Biden took part in a time-honored tradition when she helped Sen. Roy Blunt to choose a gift for the Capitol Rotunda gift-giving ceremony, which just so happened to have Ohio-roots.  

During the events following her husband's inauguration as President of the United States, Dr. Biden attended the gift-giving ceremony inside the nation's Capitol building, where Sen. Blunt showcased the painting that Dr. Biden had helped to pick for the momentous occasion. 

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The painting, "Landscape with Rainbow," was done by famous Black artist and painter, Robert S. Duncanson, based out of Cincinnati, Ohio, during the 1800s, who Blunt described as "the best known African-American painter during the years of the Civil War." 

Credit: Smithsonian American Art Museum
"Landscape with Rainbow" by Robert S. Duncanson.

The piece of art was donated for the special-day by the Smithsonian American Art Museum. 

"In this pastoral landscape, a young couple strolls through fertile pastureland, toward a house at the end of a rainbow," the Smithsonian American Art Museum says on its website. "The cattle head home toward the nearby cottage, reinforcing the sense that man lives in harmony with nature. Duncanson’s vision of rural America as Arcadia, a landscape akin to paradise, is a characteristic feature of his work, a late hope for peace before the onset of Civil War." 

Why did Dr. Biden choose this painting? 

"I like the rainbow, good things to follow," Dr. Biden tells the crowd. "Let's hope," Senator Blunt responds.  

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