Rare and Important Print of U.S. Capitol Design (1825)

Description: Rare and important view of architect Benjamin H. Latrobe's design for the reconstruction of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., published in England in 1825. Horse-drawn carriages make their way along the road and pedestrians stroll on the lawn in front of the building. The engraving is executed in delicate pastel colors, with a neoclassical sensibility.

Another example of it is in the collection of the New York Public Library and is featured in Gloria Gilda Déak's two-volume work Picturing America: 1497-1899.The original Capitol was set afire and damaged by the British during the War of 1812. Eventually Latrobe was engaged to produce a plan to restore the building's exterior, and this engraving is based on his own drawing. Unbeknownst to the engraver, however, the original Latrobe design was never fully actualized.

London, 1825