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United States Capitol - The Most Imposing Building in America, Washington, D.C. Stereoview

Stereoview with two nearly identical black and white photographs of a gardener bending over a lawnmower on the Capitol grounds, with the East Front of the Capitol directly behind, arranged side by side on gray cardboard, titled, “United States Capitol - The Most Imposing Building in America, Washington, D.C.”/tiles/collection/1/19457.xml
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Reverse of stereoview, with text reading, “The United States Capitol. The Capitol building is one of the world's noblest architectural monuments. It is distinguished for its commanding situation and majestic proportions, for the dignity and grace of its design and the decorative features within and without. The structure as we now see it embodies the conceptions of several architects and the work of more than one generation. As the nation of which it is the legislative center has grown in size, population and power, the great building has been correspondingly enlarged. It now covers an area of more than three and one-half acres. The corner stone of the original building was laid by George Washington in 1793; that of the extension, by President Fillmore in 1851. Extensions were completed in 1863 and brought the entire Capitol cost to about $16,000,000. There are three principal entrances, two of which are in view. The center one leads into the main building or rotunda. The others lead into the wings. In the south wing, which is the one nearest us, is the House of Representatives, and in the north wing, the Senate Chamber. In the central building are the Supreme Court Room and the National Statuary Hall. From the outside, the parts of the Capitol most admired are the three porticos and the dome, the latter the crowning glory of the building. Springing from a peristyle of fluted Corinthian columns above the central building, it rises to a height of nearly 300 feet above the esplanade. Surmounting the dome is a statue of Freedom which measures nineteen and one-half feet in height,” with the maker’s information./tiles/collection/1/19458.xml
Download this image
Stereoview with two nearly identical black and white photographs of a gardener bending over a lawnmower on the Capitol grounds, with the East Front of the Capitol directly behind, arranged side by side on gray cardboard, titled, “United States Capitol - The Most Imposing Building in America, Washington, D.C.”
Reverse of stereoview, with text reading, “The United States Capitol. The Capitol building is one of the world's noblest architectural monuments. It is distinguished for its commanding situation and majestic proportions, for the dignity and grace of its design and the decorative features within and without. The structure as we now see it embodies the conceptions of several architects and the work of more than one generation. As the nation of which it is the legislative center has grown in size, population and power, the great building has been correspondingly enlarged. It now covers an area of more than three and one-half acres. The corner stone of the original building was laid by George Washington in 1793; that of the extension, by President Fillmore in 1851. Extensions were completed in 1863 and brought the entire Capitol cost to about $16,000,000. There are three principal entrances, two of which are in view. The center one leads into the main building or rotunda. The others lead into the wings. In the south wing, which is the one nearest us, is the House of Representatives, and in the north wing, the Senate Chamber. In the central building are the Supreme Court Room and the National Statuary Hall. From the outside, the parts of the Capitol most admired are the three porticos and the dome, the latter the crowning glory of the building. Springing from a peristyle of fluted Corinthian columns above the central building, it rises to a height of nearly 300 feet above the esplanade. Surmounting the dome is a statue of Freedom which measures nineteen and one-half feet in height,” with the maker’s information.
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Date

1928

Publisher

Keystone View Company

Dimensions

3 1/2 × 7 1/2 in. (8.9 × 19.1 cm)

Accession Number

2015.061.000

Credit Line

Collection of the U.S. House of Representatives

Object Details

In the 1920s, a stereoview captured the dawn of modern lawn mowing. A groundskeeper refills the gas tank for a lawn mower that looks surprisingly like those used today. Some complained that it was a poor substitute for careful hand trimming, but a little engine that chewed grass three times as fast as the horse-drawn machine meant motorized mowing was here to stay.

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