Snapshots of the Past

[The Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.] – Historic Print

[The Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.] — historic photograph
[The Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.]. Historic photograph from the Library of Congress 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 historic photograph of [The Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.] brings a moment of history to your wall. 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. Snapshots of the Past has been bringing history to the wall since 2001, for tens of thousands of customers worldwide.

[The Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.]

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 buildings in Washington carried as much national ambition as the Library of Congress's new main building on Capitol Hill, which opened to the public in 1897 after the collection had outgrown its quarters in the Capitol. Now called the Thomas Jefferson Building, it was among the most lavish public structures of its day, with marble stairways, painted ceilings, and sculpture meant to present learning as a national achievement. A photograph from around 1898 shows the building in its first years, when the collection was still settling into its new home. It is worth noticing how the picture frames the library less as a place to read than as a monument to the young republic's aspirations.

Medium1 photographic print.
Notesc1898.
SourceLibrary of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
Original scan6,438 × 5,153 px · prints to 21 × 17 in at 300 dpi
ReferenceAMZ-SOTP-HPA-124208

More from the Library of Congress 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

[The Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.][The Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.][The Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.][The Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.][The Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.][The Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.][The Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.][The Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.][The Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.][The Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.][The Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.][The Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.]