Snapshots of the Past

[United States Capitol, Washington, D.C. West front, partial elevation and section] – Antique Print

[United States Capitol, Washington, D.C. West front, partial elevation and section], [between 1803 and 1814] — historic drawing
[United States Capitol, Washington, D.C. West front, partial elevation and section], [between 1803 and 1814]. Historic drawing 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

A window into the past: [United States Capitol, Washington, D.C. West front, partial elevation and section], preserved in this historic drawing. An authentic image from the Library of Congress, it carries the weight of the real historical record.

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[United States Capitol, Washington, D.C. West front, partial elevation and section]

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This drawing is a study for the west front of the United States Capitol, shown as a partial elevation and section in graphite, ink, and watercolor. It belongs to the papers of Benjamin Henry Latrobe, the architect who took over the unfinished building in 1803 and worked on it until 1817. Latrobe made many studies like this one as he tested how the west front would look and how its interior spaces would be arranged. The drawing dates from the years before the British burned the Capitol in 1814, so it records a design that was still in progress when the building was damaged. The inscription on the front identifies it as a study, which suggests Latrobe was weighing options rather than fixing a final plan.

Created / published[between 1803 and 1814]
Medium1 drawing : graphite, ink, and watercolor on paper.
GenreArchitectural drawings 1800-1820.
NotesInscription on recto: Study for a west front." Verso obscured by lining; mounted on paper on linen. Forms part of Benjamin Henry Latrobe Archive (Library of Congress)."
SourceLibrary of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
Original scan1,536 × 1,104 px · prints to 5 × 4 in at 300 dpi
ReferenceAMZ-SOTP-HPA-175860

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