United States House of Representatives: History, Art, & Archives
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The Capitol from the Virginia Side of the Potomac

Black and white print showing the Capitol in 1845, on Capitol Hill above much smaller buildings, seen from shore with trees and brush across the Potomac River. Visible on the river are a boat and ducks. The title reads, “The Capitol from the Virginia Side of the Potomac.”/tiles/collection/8/8618.xml
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Black and white print showing the Capitol in 1845, on Capitol Hill above much smaller buildings, seen from shore with trees and brush across the Potomac River. Visible on the river are a boat and ducks. The title reads, “The Capitol from the Virginia Side of the Potomac.”
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Date

1845

Dimensions

4 x 5 11/16 in. (10.2 x 14.4 cm)

Accession Number

2013.058.002

Credit Line

Collection of the U.S. House of Representatives

Object Details

This view of the Capitol takes advantage of its pastoral setting on the Potomac River. From the Virginia riverbank, the building, with its original copper-covered dome, made the most of the hill on which city planner Pierre L’Enfant had sited it. The lithographer Philip Haas had established himself in Washington a decade earlier, and likely was aware of the most popular vantage points for the city’s monumental sights.

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Office of the Historian: history@mail.house.gov
Office of Art & Archives, Office of the Clerk: art@mail.house.gov, archives@mail.house.gov