An inspiring symbol

“As a pioneering force in aviation and for gender equality, Amelia Earhart captivated the world with her extraordinary bravery, unwavering perseverance, and daring determination to defy the odds and pursue her dream of flight,” said Karen Seaberg, founder and president of the Atchison Amelia Earhart Foundation. “Her statue now stands at the U.S. Capitol as an inspiring symbol to encourage others—especially women and girls—to boldly pursue their own dreams.”

This year marks 90 years since Earhart made history as the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean—and 125 years since her birth on July 24 in Atchison, Kansas.

The Amelia Earhart Statuary Hall Selection Committee reviewed more than 50 proposals from across the country and selected nationally renowned sculptors George and Mark Lundeen. The Lundeen brothers performed all sculpting, welding and finishing work on the seven-foot bronze Amelia in their Loveland, Colorado, studios.

With invaluable perspectives from the Earhart family, the Lundeens focused on a genuine portrayal of Amelia. “In our initial clay designs, we had Amelia wearing jodhpurs, laced boots, her leather jacket, flying cap, and goggles,” said George Lundeen. “Yet in our conversations with the Earhart family, they shared how they didn’t want an ‘iconic’ portrayal of Amelia but rather to see her in how she most often, and most preferred, to dress: in trousers with a belt and sturdy shoes.”

“We positioned Amelia standing with one foot slightly forward, one hand casually tucked in a pocket of her favorite leather jacket—the other holding her leather flying cap and goggles—to convey that approachable, relaxed confidence that captured the world’s admiration,” said Mark Lundeen. They encourage visitors to look closely to see a creative addition, something Amelia did not own but they imagine she would have liked: a sunflower, the Kansas state flower, on Earhart’s bronze belt buckle.

Amelia Earhart has been destined for the U.S. Capitol Building for more than two decades. In 1999, the Kansas State Legislature voted to replace both of its statues in the Capitol’s National Statuary Hall Collection with President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Amelia Earhart. The bronze statue of Eisenhower was installed in the Capitol Rotunda in 2003, replacing former Kansas Gov. George Washington Glick. Earhart will replace the marble statue of former Kansas U.S. Senator John James Ingalls in National Statuary Hall, installed in 1905.