In 1911 Congress appropriated funds and established a subcommittee within the Commission of Fine Arts to write a proposal for a memorial to President Abraham Lincoln. The committee undertook a national design competition for monument proposals. Their…

In 1912 this design by Henry Bacon was selected as the winner of a national design competition for the Lincoln Memorial. His design was in the neoclassical style, inspired by the temples of Greece. The design also featured a 19 foot statue of…

In 1912 John Russell Pope submitted several entries to the design competition for the Lincoln Memorial. They were each unique. This proposal was for a Mayan Temple style monument to Lincoln which featured a large flame burning at the top of the…

In 1912 John Russell Pope submitted several entries to the design competition for the Lincoln Memorial. They were each distinct from one another. This submission was a unique pyramid design. Known as the Ziggurat Style, this style features middle…

In 1867, Congress formed the Lincoln Monument Association to commission a memorial for the late president. They chose this design by sculptor Clark Mills. Mills was known in Washington for designing a statue of Andrew Jackson that stands near the…

This painting from 1833 was published in New York City in 1834. It shows a view of Washington, DC from Anacostia. The Navy Yard and the Capitol can be seen in the center, while the Arsenal and the White House can be seen toward the left. The ships…

The original Bureau of Engraving and Printing was opened on July 1, 1880, but by the 1930s, the facility had become too small for all of the Bureau's responsibilities, which included printing money, stamps, and government security documents. In 1938,…

Joseph Henry, the first secretary of the Smithsonian, and his family lived in the Smithsonian Institution Building, also called the Castle, from 1855 to 1878. This photograph, taken in 1862, shows Mr. Henry along with the whole family: Harriet…

In 1877 Congress appropriated funds so that the building of the Washington Monument could continue. Budget problems had halted construction in 1854. But after sitting untouched for more than 20 years many worried that a new design was needed for the…

In 1799 Architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe submitted this proposal for the Washington Monument. The design was meant to be incorporated into the original design of Washington, DC, but budget problems prevented its construction. The plan included the…