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[United States Capitol, Washington, D.C. Basement floor plan] – Vintage Wall Art

[United States Capitol, Washington, D.C. Basement floor plan], [between 1832 and 1834] — historic drawing
[United States Capitol, Washington, D.C. Basement floor plan], [between 1832 and 1834]. 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

Step back in time with [United States Capitol, Washington, D.C. Basement floor plan], a historic drawing rich in period detail. Sourced directly from the Library of Congress, it represents an authentic piece of documented history.

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[United States Capitol, Washington, D.C. Basement floor plan]

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The most distinctive detail here is the inscription, which records that the basement plan of the United States Capitol was measured and drawn by Alex J. Davis during the summer of 1832. Davis, who later became a well-known architect, produced the sheet as a working record of the building's lower floor, which housed service spaces and rooms that the rebuilt structure needed. The note also specifies that the copper plates for engraving would measure 15 1/2 by 21 inches, showing that the drawing was meant for reproduction. Its careful color washes and annotations make it a useful look at how the Capitol was surveyed in the years after the 1814 fire.

Created / published[between 1832 and 1834]
Medium1 drawing : ink, watercolor, color ink, graphite, and wash on paper.
GenreArchitectural drawings 1830-1840.
NotesInscription on recto: Basement plan of Capitol. Measured and drawn by Alex J. Davis, during the summer of 1832. The Copper plates are decided to be 15 1/2 by 21 inches in size. 461980 Au[], 34. 3. center Sky light N. wing.
SourceLibrary of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
Original scan1,536 × 1,028 px · prints to 5 × 3 in at 300 dpi
ReferenceAMZ-SOTP-HPA-175886

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