National Archives Research Center

"National Archives and Records Administration building from the North (from the Navy Memorial), with view of pediment by Adolph A. Weinman. Designed by German immigrant artist Adolph A. Weinman (1870–1952) the north pediment of the National Archives represents "Destiny" and was unveiled January 12, 1936. Weinman's theme was that progress is determined by knowledge of the past: knowledge gained through documents held in the Archives.Adolph Weinman (1870-1952), born in Karlsruhe, Germany, came to the United States in 1880. He studied at New York's Cooper Union and the Art Students League. Weinman studied with Philip Martiny and worked as an assistant with the major sculptors Daniel Chester French, Olin Warner, and Augustus Saint-Gaudens. He opened his own studio in 1904."