The next, and main, stop on the tour of the US Capitol was the Rotunda, which sits beneath the enormous dome. It’s lined with famous old paintings and sculptures of US presidents and is used for important ceremonial events such as the lying in state of eminent citizens. Usually filled with tourists, it was relatively empty that day. On the far wall are the paintings "The Baptism of Pocahontas" (C) by John Gadsby Chapman, commissioned in 1837 and placed in 1840, and "Embarkation of the Pilgrims" (L) by Robert Walter Weir, commissioned in 1837 and placed in 1844.

The alternate dome, posted earlier: