Working the Monoliths - The First Photographs of Washington, D.C. [1846-1926]

Howdy. Today we’re going to look at the oldest photographs of Washington, District of Columbia, the capital of the United States of America. In one of the first photographs I uncovered in the Library of Congress, we see an image titled “Working the Monoliths” dated to roughly 1860. In today’s compilation we will view photographs of Washington D.C. from such collections as The Smithsonian Institute, The Library of Congress, & other outside sources and collectors. These will be the oldest photographs of Washington D.C. dated from 1846, as well as some of the most detailed and revealing photographs of the so-called construction of Washington D.C. beginning with the “raising” of the Monoliths. Each photograph in today’s compilation will include the original title, as well as the date. We will see such things as Romanesque architecture, Freemason symbolism, Questionable construction practices, as well as Raised or Elevated Entrances, Intricate infrastructure with underground corridors, and most revealing of all, we see a city which appears almost entirely developed, from street lights to paved roads by the time of the first images. Yet as the year 1860 comes into play, it also appears the entire city of Washington D.C. was slightly tweaked and modified, leading to some amazing images which we will view today. I’m very excited to share these first photographs with you, and I look forward to our discussion in the comments down below. Enjoy! Topics discussed today; ,_D.C. ,_D.C. ,_D.C.