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In the Restaurant of the House of Representatives, Washington

A black-and-white print from Harper’s Weekly, captioned “In the Restaurant of the House of Representatives, Washington.—Drawn by C.S. Reinhart.—[See Page 771.]” The print shows a room of White men at tables in the House Restaurant, eating, ordering, reading, and speaking animatedly, as Black servers stand by tables. In the foreground is a bucket with a bottle of wine./tiles/collection/5/5005.xml
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A black-and-white print from Harper’s Weekly, captioned “In the Restaurant of the House of Representatives, Washington.—Drawn by C.S. Reinhart.—[See Page 771.]” The print shows a room of White men at tables in the House Restaurant, eating, ordering, reading, and speaking animatedly, as Black servers stand by tables. In the foreground is a bucket with a bottle of wine.
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Date

1893-08-12

Artist

Charles Stanley Reinhardt

Publication

Harper's Weekly

Publisher

Harper & Brothers

Dimensions

16 x 22 1/4 in. (40.6 x 56.5 cm)

Accession Number

2004.085.003

Credit Line

Collection of the U.S. House of Representatives

Object Details

The House Restaurant, a unique part of life in the Capitol, has been in the same location since the 1857 Capitol expansion. It was always a busy informal meeting spot for Members, and this 1893 print illustrates the convivial, if noisy, place of refreshment. Details including elegantly attired servers, elaborate floral arrangements, and coolers of wine further provide a sense of the atmosphere that pervaded.

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