Unattributed "Birdseye View of the City of Washington, with the Capitol in the Foreground"

Unattributed. "Birdseye View of the City of Washington, with the Capitol in the Foreground."

London: The Illustrated London News, May 25, 1861. 13 3/4 x 19 3/4 (image) with full margins. Thin printer's wrinkle runs vertically to the left of the Capitol dome and the Washington Monument {original to the piece]. Accompanied by a single page of text, p.496. Overall very good condition. 

This fine wood engraving is the only print that shows much detail of the continuing enlargement of the U.S. Capitol building at the beginning of the Civil War. Cranes and cables are shown around the top of the dome, and on the House of Representatives side there is much detail on the scaffolding and the staging yard with workmen handling architectural details. This was the scene two months prior to the Battle of First Bull Run. 

Radiating out from Capitol Hill, from left to right, is Maryland Avenue which was a wide expanse leading to the Long Bridge which eventually was called the Fourteenth Street Bridge. This expansive street was soon to accommodate railroads to the south. To the right is shown the Smithsonian Institute and the Washington Monument (under construction) with the Potomac River drawn along the background. By this time Timber Creek was being filled and called "A" or "B" Street eventually filling the creek bed and taking the name Constitution Avenue. Pennsylvania Avenue angles west to the White House which is obscured by trees; however, to the right of the avenue is City Hall, the Patent Office, and U.S. Postal Office. Many other buildings can be seen northwest of the Capitol.