Historians believe that the arguments regarding immigrant labor in public buildings may have resulted in Tommaso Juglaris not receiving credit for his work in our Capitol. An Italian emigree who never became an American citizen, Juglaris was quietly hired to paint eight “colossal figures” representing “the virtues and the sciences” for Michigan’s Capitol in the mid 1880s.

The resulting eight ladies – often called our muses, or allegories - were installed in the dome by Wright’s crew in September 1886. News coverage of the event never mentioned their artist by name, simply stating that they were by “the best artist of his kind.” Finally, more than 100 years later, scholars identified Juglaris as their creator. (Link to juglaris.org somewhere)