Snapshots of the Past

U.S. Capitol extension, ground plan of cellar, north wing – Vintage Print

U.S. Capitol extension, ground plan of cellar, north wing, [between ca. 1852 and ca. 1860] — historic photograph
U.S. Capitol extension, ground plan of cellar, north wing, [between ca. 1852 and ca. 1860]. Historic photograph from the U.S. Capitol collection.

(Originally scanned by the Library of Congress. Each image is professionally and digitally cleaned of artifacts such as color bars and extra borders prior to printing.)

Description

Few images capture their era like this historic photograph of U.S. Capitol extension, ground plan of cellar, north wing. It comes from the collections of the Library of Congress, scanned from the original and carefully restored.

Framed, it is ready for the wall; unframed, it is ready for the frame you choose. A fine choice for anyone who loves history, and a gift that gets noticed. Free shipping in the lower 48 states. Since 2001, Snapshots of the Past has shipped historic prints to tens of thousands of customers around the world.

U.S. Capitol extension, ground plan of cellar, north wing

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The subject here is not the Capitol's façade or dome but its underground: a ground plan of the cellar of the north wing, the part of the building that housed the Senate chamber side of the 1850s expansion. The U.S. Capitol was enlarged between roughly 1851 and 1868, when the original central building was joined by new north and south wings to hold the growing House and Senate, and the extension was overseen in its early years by Thomas U. Walter, the architect who also designed the new cast-iron dome. Plans like this one, showing the foundations, vaults and support walls beneath the floor, were essential working documents for masons, engineers and the crews who had to build around existing structure. Note that the date and caption details come from an unverified card, so the exact year of this print should be read with some caution.

Created / published[between ca. 1852 and ca. 1860]
Medium1 photographic print.
NotesThis record contains unverified data from caption card.
SourceLibrary of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
Original scan1,536 × 1,111 px · prints to 5 × 4 in at 300 dpi
ReferenceAMZ-SOTP-HPA-160367

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