Snapshots of the Past

[Washington, D.C.] – Historic Print

[Washington, D.C.] — historic drawing
[Washington, D.C.]. 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: [Washington, D.C.], preserved in this historic drawing. Sourced directly from the Library of Congress, it represents an authentic piece of documented history.

The framed print arrives ready to hang; the unframed option suits custom framing. Perfect for a home, office, library or classroom wall, and a gift with a story behind it. 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.

[Washington, D.C.]

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Few things set this ink-and-wash drawing apart like its pairing of Smithsonian buildings with Charles Lindbergh's *Spirit of St. Louis*, here gathered into a cluster of towers that looks more like a storybook castle than a museum. Lindbergh flew that monoplane across the Atlantic in 1927, and it had been on display in Washington for decades by the time this drawing was probably made, between about 1961 and 1964. That was a period when the tourist trade in the capital was growing and its museums were becoming central to how the city presented itself. The scraped highlights and gray wash give the towers a dreamy, theatrical quality that fits the Camelot comparison.

Medium1 drawing : India ink with gray wash, and scraping out on off-white drawing board ; 40.0 x 50.7 cm. (sheet)
Genrea Camelot-type confection of towers
Notes[between ca. 1961 and ca. 1964]
SubjectsSmithsonian Institution--Buildings--Washington (D.C.)--1960-1970. Spirit of St. Louis (Airplane)--1960-1970. Tourist trade--1960-1970.
SourceLibrary of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
Original scan1,536 × 1,215 px · prints to 5 × 4 in at 300 dpi
ReferenceAMZ-SOTP-HPA-158759

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