Search Results: Authors starting with U from 19th Century Rare Book and Photograph Shop

Large-format albumen print (10 ⅝ x 13 ⅜ in.), mounted. Dated in the negative. Minor scratches, some overall toning, some offset from an old wood backing. Framed.
This rare photograph shows the East entrance to the Senate wing of the U.S. Capitol during construction. Sawhorses and construction debris are visible in the foreground, while a number of figures, perhaps builders and the architect, stand at the head of the main stairs beneath Thomas Crawford's pediment, The Progress of Civilization.
At this time the Capitol dome was being put in place. The enormous project, begun in 1856, would be completed in 1866. The massive dome visually overwhelmed the East Front, prompting calls to enlarge that side of the building. That work was first planned in 1904, but construction did not take place until 1958-64. The East Front was the site of all presidential inaugurations from Jackson to Carter. Beginning with Reagan's inauguration the event was moved for the western side, allowing crowds to… Read More

Albumen print (8 ⅛ x 10 ⅜ in.), unmounted. Some creasing, minor toning and a very short closed tear at top. Framed.This rare photograph shows two parallel pontoon bridges stretching across the James River at Richmond, Virginia, near war's end. The Army Corps of Engineers constructed these bridges after retreating Confederate forces burned the bridges in 1865. The Dunlop Mills are seen on the other side of the river.
We have located only the example at the National Archives, which provides the identification for this view.