Balloon view of Washington, D.C. [with U.S. Capitol in foreground] – Historic Photo Reproduction
![Balloon view of Washington, D.C. [with U.S. Capitol in foreground], 1861 — antique engraving](https://images.jameslantos.com/img/83/8326924e236a-L.webp)
(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 antique engraving captures Balloon view of Washington, D.C. [with U.S. Capitol in foreground] in remarkable detail. The original is held by the Library of Congress, so what you hang is a true record of its time.
Choose the framed print, ready to hang the day it arrives, or the unframed print for a frame of your own. A conversation-starting piece for home, office, or as a meaningful 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.
Balloon view of Washington, D.C. [with U.S. Capitol in foreground]
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The Capitol anchors the foreground of this wood engraving, with the rest of the city stretching outward as if seen from a balloon high above. It ran in *Harper's Weekly* in late July 1861, just days after the First Battle of Bull Run, when Washington was filling with troops and anxious residents. That summer, aeronauts such as Thaddeus Lowe were making tethered ascents near the capital to watch Confederate positions across the Potomac, so the view reflects a new way of seeing the city at war. The engraver packed streets, rooflines and open ground into one sweeping panorama.
| Created / published | 1861 |
|---|---|
| Medium | 1 print : wood engraving. |
| Notes | Illus. in: Harper's Weekly, 1861 July 27, p. 476. This record contains unverified, old data from caption card. Caption card tracings: Balloons; Geogr. |
| Source | Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division |
| Original scan | 2,246 × 1,500 px · prints to 7 × 5 in at 300 dpi |
| Reference | AMZ-SOTP-HPA-144643 |
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