Mercer Tiles
The tile mosaics in these photographs are all found on the floors of the State Capitol Building in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. They are the creation of Henry Chapman Mercer. In 1903 Mercer was commissioned to provide pavement tiles for the new Capitol Building. He chose red three-inch tiles as the flooring, and placed his mosaics in precise locations on every floor. The mosaics represent Pennsylvania in many ways: through its history, its artisans, its inventions, and its wild creatures.
A large collection of photographs are included in the links below. The pictures are grouped by category.
A large collection of photographs are included in the links below. The pictures are grouped by category.
In 1908 Henry Mercer wrote a guidebook to explain the tiles. Now available as a reprint, the book is called Guide Book to the Tiled Pavement in the Pennsylvania Capitol. It is produced by the Capitol Preservation Committee, ISBN 0-9643048-4-8. It is from this guide book that the titles for each mosaic were taken.
All images courtesy of Mrs. Maureen Book.
All images courtesy of Mrs. Maureen Book.