About This Scene:

Washington, D.C.

"The United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., is located at the east end of the National Mall. The original design was created by a self-taught architect trained as a physician, Dr. William Thornton, and inspired by the Louvre in Paris and the Pantheon in Rome. George Washington laid the cornerstone on September 18, 1793, when building began. The majority of the workforce were African Americans, both free and enslaved. The Capitol has housed the meeting chambers of the Senate and the House of Representatives for more than two centuries.

"Looking on as Simon tucks in his shirt are President Theodore ‘Teddy’ Roosevelt, his wife, Edith, and their children Alice, Ted Jr., Kermit, Ethel, Archie, and Quentin, as well as their pets—Eli Yale the macaw, Tom Quartz the cat, Sailor Boy the dog, Maude the pig, Jonathan Edwards the bear cub, Josiah the badger, Jonathan the rat, Algonquin the pony, Emily Spinach the snake, and a one-legged rooster." — from Adèle & Simon in America