The book-delivery system at the Congressional Library, Washington / drawn by G.W. Peters, Washington, D.C. – Antique Print
(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 print captures The book-delivery system at the Congressional Library, Washington / drawn by G.W. Peters, Washington, D.C. in remarkable detail. Sourced directly from the Library of Congress, it represents an authentic piece of documented history.
The framed print arrives ready to hang; the unframed option suits custom framing. Perfect for a home, office, library or classroom wall, and a gift with a story behind it. 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 book-delivery system at the Congressional Library, Washington / drawn by G.W. Peters, Washington, D.C.
Order a print
Thank you. Your order went through, and a receipt is on its way by email.
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.
The book-delivery system shown here was built for the Library of Congress's new Thomas Jefferson Building, which was still being finished in 1897. Reading-room staff used conveyors and pneumatic tubes to move call slips down and books up from the stacks, a mechanized answer to the problem of serving a rapidly growing collection from a central reading room. G.W. Peters's drawing ran in *Harper's Weekly* that August as a halftone, one of the many period illustrations that introduced the building's novel machinery to a general readership.
| Created / published | 1897 |
|---|---|
| Medium | 1 photomechanical print : halftone. |
| Genre | Periodical illustrations 1890-1900.Halftone photomechanical prints 1890-1900. |
| Notes | Illus. in: Harper's weekly, v. 41, 1897 Aug. 14, p. 804. |
| Subjects | Library of Congress Thomas Jefferson Building (Washington, D.C.)--1890-1900. Libraries--Washington (D.C.)--1890-1900. Book conveyors--Washington (D.C.)--1890-1900. Pneumatic tubes--1890-1900. |
| Source | Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division |
| Original scan | 2,053 × 3,283 px · prints to 7 × 11 in at 300 dpi |
| Reference | AMZ-SOTP-HPA-195134 |
More from the Books & Writers 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.
![[Library of Congress bookplate, showing eagle atop open book showing U.S. Flag]](https://images.jameslantos.com/img/02/02741b87a01a-400.webp)
![[Book stacks and library tables in library, North Easton, Massachusetts]](https://images.jameslantos.com/img/cc/cc8c5798edbf-400.webp)
