Snapshots of the Past

[Van Ness House gatehouse, 17th Street and Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C.] – Vintage Wall Art

[Van Ness House gatehouse, 17th Street and Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C.], [between 1900 and 1908] — historic photograph
[Van Ness House gatehouse, 17th Street and Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C.], [between 1900 and 1908]. Historic photograph 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

[Van Ness House gatehouse, 17th Street and Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C.] comes to life in this historic photograph, reproduced from the original with every detail intact. It comes from the collections of the Library of Congress, scanned from the original and carefully restored.

Framed, it is ready for the wall; unframed, it is ready for the frame you choose. It brings character to any room and makes a memorable gift. 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.

[Van Ness House gatehouse, 17th Street and Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C.]

Order a print

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.

Sign up for our newsletter

Sent securely. No purchase needed. Unsubscribe anytime.

Ask about licensing or this print

The gatehouse at Van Ness House, on 17th Street at Constitution Avenue in Washington, carries a sign over its entrance gate reading "Y.M.C.A. Athletic Park," which places the grounds in a period when the Young Men's Christian Association was building recreational programs in American cities. The Van Ness name points to the family estate that once occupied this part of the city, long before the area filled with government buildings. The National Photo Company made thousands of glass negatives of Washington streets and landmarks in the early 1900s, and this plate, dated between 1900 and 1908, records a transitional moment in the neighborhood's history. Faint streaks and blemishes on the glass come from the natural breakdown of the original coating.

Created / published[between 1900 and 1908]
Medium1 negative : glass ; 4 x 5 in. or smaller
GenreGlass negatives.
NotesUnverified data provided by the National Photo Company on the negative or negative sleeve: Fair [...] gatehouse. Date from Goode's Capitol losses, p. 32. Sign over entrance gate indicates Y.M.C.A. Athletic Park. Gift; Herbert A. French; 1947. This glass negative might show streaks and other blemishes resulting from a natural deterioration in the original coatings. Temp. note: Batch one.
SubjectsYMCA. Dwellings. United States--District of Columbia--Washington (D.C.)
SourceLibrary of Congress, National Photo Company Collection
Original scan5,257 × 4,175 px · prints to 18 × 14 in at 300 dpi
ReferenceAMZ-SOTP-NPC-229418

More from the Washington DC 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.

Related pictures

[Van Ness House, 17th Street and Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C.][Van Ness House, 17th Street and Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C.][Van Ness House, 17th Street and Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C.][Van Ness House, 17th Street and Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C.][Van Ness House, 17th Street and Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C.][Van Ness House, 17th Street and Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C.][Van Ness House, 17th Street and Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C.][Van Ness House, 17th Street and Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C.][Hotel for Azariah Fuller, (Kirkwood House), Pennsylvania Avenue and 12th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. Cellar floor plan][Hotel for Azariah Fuller, (Kirkwood House), Pennsylvania Avenue and 12th StreetArchitectural drawing for alterations to a house, 1775 N Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.Architectural drawing for alterations to a house, 1775 N Street, N.W., Washingto