Snapshots of the Past

Washington, D.C. Aerial view of a street corner, in front of the Willard Hotel, at 14th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue showing pedestrians and rather dense traffic in autos and street cars – Vintage Wall Art

Washington, D.C. Aerial view of a street corner, in front of the Willard Hotel, at 14th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue showing pedestrians and rather dense traffic in autos and street cars, 1939 — historic photograph
Washington, D.C. Aerial view of a street corner, in front of the Willard Hotel, at 14th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue showing pedestrians and rather dense traffic in autos and street cars, 1939. Historic photograph from the Washington DC 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

This rare historic photograph captures Washington, D.C. Aerial view of a street corner, in front of the Willard Hotel, at 14th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue showing pedestrians and rather dense traffic in autos and street cars in remarkable detail. It comes from the collections of the Library of Congress, scanned from the original and carefully restored.

The framed print arrives ready to hang; the unframed option suits custom framing. It makes a striking addition to a living room, study or office, and a thoughtful gift. 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.

Washington, D.C. Aerial view of a street corner, in front of the Willard Hotel, at 14th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue showing pedestrians and rather dense traffic in autos and street cars

Order a print

Secure checkout · SSL encryptedPowered by Stripe and PayPal

Free shipping in the lower 48 states. The checkout page shows the picture, size and price before you pay.

Sign up for our newsletter

Sent securely. No purchase needed. Unsubscribe anytime.

Ask about licensing or this print

Few details in this 1939 view set it apart from a dozen similar street scenes, but its location is specific: the corner of 14th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, with the Willard Hotel standing in front of the camera's field. The Willard, built in the early 1900s, was among the best-known hotels in the capital, a place where political figures and visitors gathered and where the phrase "Willard lobby" became shorthand for Washington lobbying. The photograph's aerial angle looks down on pedestrians, automobiles and streetcars crowded into the intersection, a reminder of how busy the downtown core was on the eve of the Second World War. The negative is on nitrate film, a format that was common for news and documentary work of the period but is fragile today.

Created / published1939
Medium1 negative : nitrate ; 35 mm.
GenreNitrate negatives.
NotesTitle and other information from caption card. United States. Office of War Information. Overseas Picture Division. Washington Division; 1944.
SubjectsUnited States--District of Columbia--Washington (D.C.)
SourceLibrary of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
Original scan4,096 × 3,281 px · prints to 14 × 11 in at 300 dpi
ReferenceAMZ-SOTP-HPA-206257

More from the Washington DC collection

Snapshots of the Past helps heritage brands, museums, historians and storytellers tell stories with history: historic prints, image licensing and historical storytelling drawn from more than 25 years of research and curation.

Related pictures

[Two herdic cabs and soldiers on horseback in front of the Willard Hotel, Washington, D.C.][Two herdic cabs and soldiers on horseback in front of the Willard Hotel, Washin[View of Washington looking down Pennsylvania Ave. toward unfinished Capitol. National Hotel on left, no. 2][View of Washington looking down Pennsylvania Ave. toward unfinished Capitol. Na[Composite of eight buildings in Washington, D.C.--St. James Hotel, the Ebbitt House, Riggs House, Metropolitan Hotel, National Hotel, The Arlington, Willard's Hotel, and the Baltimore & Potomac R.R. Depot][Composite of eight buildings in Washington, D.C.--St. James Hotel, the Ebbitt H[Alterations to the Executive Mansion, for Mrs. Benjamin Harrison, Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. View from the south, conservatory and court] / F.D. Owen, Archt.[Alterations to the Executive Mansion, for Mrs. Benjamin Harrison, Pennsylvania Washington, D.C.: S.W. corner of 14th St. and New York Ave., #813, April, 1900Washington, D.C.: S.W. corner of 14th St. and New York Ave., #813, April, 1900[The New Willard Hotel, Washington, D.C. - lobby][The New Willard Hotel, Washington, D.C. - lobby]