WASHINGTON — If you weren’t told, you might not know that a portrait of a Confederate general was removed from city council chambers in Alexandria and put into a history museum in the city.
A painting of Robert E. Lee has been replaced with a framed historic map of Alexandria in city council chambers. Mayor Allison Silberberg told WTOP the painting of Lee and another of George Washington were removed from city council chambers this summer so that renovation, painting and reconstruction work could be done.
She said when city council returned to their chambers following the completion of the work after Labor Day, the portrait of George Washington was returned.
But she said that she and her city council colleagues decided to place the painting of Lee in the city’s Lyceum history museum, which has a Civil War exhibit.
The mayor said the museum is a more appropriate place for the historic painting, and she said she’s not aware of any complaints about the painting being moved.
Alexandria City Manager Mark Jinks said he has not received any emails or phones calls over the removal of the painting, Silberberg told WTOP.
