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The Ascent to the Capitol Washington

The frontispiece for the book American Scenery, with a colored engraving of the Capitol’s West Front. Entitled “The Ascent to the Capitol Washington,” the print depicts the building from a low vantage point. People in colorful clothing climbing steps up to the Capitol, which is topped by a small dome./tiles/collection/4/4225.xml
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The frontispiece for the book American Scenery, with a colored engraving of the Capitol’s West Front. Entitled “The Ascent to the Capitol Washington,” the print depicts the building from a low vantage point. People in colorful clothing climbing steps up to the Capitol, which is topped by a small dome.
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Date

1839

Artist

William Henry Bartlett

Publisher

J.S. Virtue

Dimensions

10 1/2 × 8 in. (26.7 × 20.3 cm) Framed: 19 1/4 × 16 in. (48.9 × 40.6 cm)

Accession Number

2004.085.014

Credit Line

Collection of the U.S. House of Representatives

Object Details

The frontispiece for American Scenery, an 1839 pictorial tour of the United States written by N.P. Willis, features this steel engraving of the Capitol’s West Front. The text that follows this image emphasizes the rapid growth of the country, remarking on the “Minerva-like birth of the republic” and how the traveler in America “must feed his imagination on the future.” The perspective of the view of the Capitol shown here, with its focus on verticality and the Bulfinch dome, visually reinforces this notion of ascension.

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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