Raising a monolithic column. Genl. P.O. Building, north facade – Historic Photograph Print
![Raising a monolithic column. Genl. P.O. Building, north facade, [1858] — historic photograph](https://images.jameslantos.com/img/a0/a0aaf78e922c-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
A window into the past: Raising a monolithic column. Genl. P.O. Building, north facade, preserved in this historic photograph. The original is held by the Library of Congress, so what you hang is a true record of its time.
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Raising a monolithic column. Genl. P.O. Building, north facade
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The picture shows workers raising a single-piece monolithic column into place on the north facade of the General Post Office in Washington, D.C., a detail that marks it as a record of the building's construction rather than a view of the finished exterior. Robert Mills designed the building, and work on it stretched across the 1840s and 1850s, with its massive stone columns requiring heavy hoisting equipment and careful handling. The print is a salted paper photograph from the album of Benjamin Brown French, who served as Commissioner of Public Buildings in Washington and oversaw federal construction projects during these years. Salted paper, an early photographic process, produced soft tones that give the scene its hazy, textured look.
| Created / published | [1858] |
|---|---|
| Medium | 1 photographic print : salted paper ; 34 x 44 cm. |
| Notes | In album: Benjamin Brown French Photographs |
| Subjects | United States.--Post Office Dept.--Buildings--Washington (D.C.)--1850-1860. Construction--Washington (D.C.)--1850-1860. Post offices--Washington (D.C.)--1850-1860. |
| Source | Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division |
| Original scan | 1,536 × 1,149 px · prints to 5 × 4 in at 300 dpi |
| Reference | AMZ-SOTP-HPA-158067 |
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