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United States Capitol

United States Capitol Free Sock Photos. Public Domain, Royalty Free Images.
The United States Capitol, often called the Capitol Building or Capitol Hill, is the home of the United States Congress, and the seat of the legislative branch of the U.S. federal government.
President George Washington in 1791 selected the area that is now the District of Columbia from land ceded by Maryland. French engineer Pierre Charles L'Enfant who planned the new city of Washington located the Capitol at the elevated east end of the Mall, on the brow of what was then called Jenkins' Hill. The site was, in L'Enfant's words, "a pedestal waiting for a monument." President Washington laid the cornerstone of the U.S. Capitol in the building's southeast corner on September 18, 1793, with Masonic ceremonies.
Construction was a time-consuming process: the sandstone used for the building had to be ferried on boats from the quarries at Aquia, Virginia and workers had to be induced to leave their homes to come to the relative wilderness of Capitol Hill. Some third-floor rooms were still unfinished when the Congress, the Supreme Court, the Library of Congress, and the courts of the District of Columbia occupied the U.S. Capitol in late 1800.

United Nations Fight for Freedom: Boy Scout in front of Capitol. They help out by delivering posters to help the war effort
707 Media in collection ∙ page 1 of 8

[United States Capitol. Tortola scheme. Competition rendering of façade. Elevation with central dome and lantern]

Architectural drawing showing Thornton's proposed design, known as the Tortola Scheme.

[United States Capitol. Tortola scheme. Competition rendering of façade. Elevation with central pediment and lantern]

Architectural drawing showing Thornton's proposed design, known as the Tortola Scheme, with alternative design for flanking pavilions mounted to right.

Senate Chamber. Hall of the House of Representatives / W.I Stone sc. Washn. D.C.

Print shows an interior view of the Senate and the House of Representatives chambers showing a numbered seating arrangement (key to the Senate chamber seating is filed with print).

East front of the Capitol / W.I Stone aquat.

Print shows an exterior view of the east front of the U.S. Capitol, with view of the north facade.

[East front of the United States Capitol]

View of the east front of the U.S. Capitol.

[United States Capitol] / C. Bullfinch delt. ; Childs dir.

Print shows front or east view of the U.S. Capitol as it appeared in 1829, prior to the beginning of President Andrew Jackson's administration.

Capitol of the United States, Washington

Engraving showing Capitol building in background; people walking, riding horses, riding in carriages on road leading to the Capitol.

Capitol of the United States, Washington / drawn by H. Brown ; engraved and printed by Fenner Sears & Co.

Engraving showing Capitol building in background; people walking, riding horses, riding in carriages on road leading to the Capitol.

The Capitol at Washington

Engraving showing Capitol on hill in background; people and carriages on street in foreground on the road leading to the Capitol; houses on the left.

Principal front of the Capitol, Washington / W.H. Bartlett, R. Brandard.

Engraving showing Capitol building in background; people walking or riding in carriages on Capitol grounds.

Monolith for columns, Capitol extension

Photograph showing a 14 ton column being transported on a six wheel wagon drawn by oxen for an addition to the Capitol.

Washington aus der Vogelperspective / Druck v. Weger, Leipzig.

Engraving shows visitors on grounds of partially constructed United States Capitol building.

Monument to the memory of the "Herveor of Tripoli." The birth of the American Navy, now at Naval Academy school, Annapolis, Md.

Photograph shows the Tripoli Naval Monument on the grounds of United States Capitol, Washington, D.C. Moved in 1860 to the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.

Chamber of Representatives (Washington) / C.R., DEL, John Poppel, SC.

Print showing House of Representatives in session.

[Bronze doors for the east portico of the House wing, U.S. Capitol]

Photograph of maquette of bronze doors for the U.S. Capitol by Thomas Crawford depicting events in American history.

[Bronze doors for the east portico of the Senate wing, U.S. Capitol]

Photograph of maquette of bronze doors for the U.S. Capitol by Thomas Crawford depicting events in the life of George Washington and Revolutionary War battles.

[Panel and medallion details from bronze doors for the east portico of the Senate wing, U.S. Capitol]

Photograph of bronze doors detail showing panel, depicting ovation for George Washington at Trenton, New Jersey, and allegorical medallion of peace and agriculture, from bottom of left valve.

Capitol construction, from north west. Progressive view of dome, no. 1

Photograph showing beginning stages of adding the dome to the Capitol.

United States Capitol, Washington, D.C.

Print shows the east front of the U.S. Capitol as seen from the south-east, with pedestrians and horsedrawn carriages on plaza in front.

[Bronze doors for the House wing (later moved to the central east front entrance), U.S. Capitol]

Photograph of maquette of bronze doors for the U.S. Capitol by Randolph Rogers depicting events in the life of Columbus.

East portico - looking south

Photograph shows east front of the U.S. Capitol including Horatio Greenough's sculpture "The Rescue" and Luigi Persico's sculptures "Discovery of America" and "War."

Construction for supporting ceiling of Senate chamber, n. wing

Photograph showing scaffolding and pipes during the construction of the Capitol.

East front from grounds. Progressive views of dome, no. iii. Columns of peristyle in position

Photograph showing beginning stages of adding the dome to the Capitol.

East front looking north. Progressive views of dome iv

Photograph showing east front of the Capitol with peristyle in progress. Men, including Montgomery C. Meigs, stand in driveway.

West facade from Botanical Gardens

Photograph showing Capitol dome under construction with the Botanical Gardens and Tiber Creek in the foreground.

West front of Capitol, vii, peristyle complete

Photograph showing the Capitol dome under construction, with canal in foreground.

[National, Washington, D.C.] / Morse & Tuttle, SC.

Engraving showing Capitol building; people walking or riding in carriages on Capitol grounds.

Working the monoliths

Photo shows construction at U.S. Capitol, including "S. Wing" and "Centre Building." The workmen include African Americans.

The "Lincoln column," first monolith raised, Nov. 1860, Presidential election, being S. column of connecting corridor

Photo shows construction at U.S. Capitol, including African American workmen with a column named in the photograph to recognize Abraham Lincoln's election as president on Nov. 6, 1860.

View, looking N. from Capitol roof

Photograph shows view of Washington, D.C., taken from U.S. Capitol, showing Douglas Hospital, Old Douglas House, Railway Station, The Washington, or Wilkes House, St. Aloysius, Government Printing Office, Glenw... more

[Lincoln inaugural]

Photograph showing a crowd outside the U.S. Capitol for Lincoln's inauguration.

[Inauguration of Abraham Lincoln at the U.S. Capitol]

Photograph shows crowd of people viewing Lincoln's inauguration by the under-construction U.S. Capitol.

[Capitol dome construction]

Photograph showing the dome of the Capitol under construction.

Capitol, Washington, D.C., north-east view. Dome and front unfinished, June 28, 1863

Photograph showing construction on the U. S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C.

Ratond [i.e. rotunda]. Apotheosis of Washington

Photographs of canopy fresco in U.S. Capitol dome showing George Washington rising to the heavens with allegorical figures representing war, science, marine, commerce, mechanics, and architecture.

Lincoln's second inaugural

President Lincoln delivering his inaugural address on the east portico of the U.S. Capitol, March 4, 1865.