Washington, DC 1865

[JPK Huson 1863]

Ladies Tea might seem like an odd place for a series of views of DC from 1865. It is. Streching the point on the grounds that there's a grgrgrandmother of mine in these somewhere, hands full. By 1865 her twins are 2 years old, she running a ' public house ' with her husband, there by the Capitol Mall. Wounded soldiers take up most of the rooms formerly home to politicians away from home and she's both nurse to them and over seer to the women cooking in the pub downstairs. Her husband ' keeps' the whole thing, God knows who is keeping an eye on the 2 older children, maybe a nanny. Her world has always fascinated me, always. Wish we knew more- seems to have been too exhausted to have left written records.

Anyway, kind of collect every, single photograph of era Washington bumped into. One of these is very well known, get a kick out of thinking my grggrandparents saw those cattle grazing the lawn.

 

[JPK Huson 1863]

15th and Penn, which gun is this? Can you imagine?

Lincoln's 2nd inaugural, streets so, so full

Could be almost any crowd, right?

You would never know this is the capitol city of a nation at war.

The aquaduct

Washington Barracks

3rd and Indiana

Smithsonian

1919 photo, White House stables, makes you wish so much these were there.

I forget which corner, Gen. Harding's house

 

[JPK Huson 1863]

What a city! From a mud, Persian carpets, clapboard houses to mansions to hovels kind of place claimed with varying amounts of success from the swamps in which it still threatened to return, Washington, DC roiled upward and outward in the war's Overnight following Sumter. Our nation's busy-ness came here- our best and most tawdry arrived in the most best and tawdry means of travel- and march. Not for Washington the cohesive attributes enjoyed by a nation's capitol at war, circling the wagons 'gainst all comers, pickets challenging loyalties, a city humming with Patriotism and common cause, no. ' Sesesh ' already ensconced, at home in a gracious society, willingly denouncing former friends, neighbors, heck fathers and mother and children. Crazy times endured with grace.

Really cannot read anything better than " Reveille in Washington:, one of my all-time favorite re-reads. http://www.nyrb.com/products/reveille-in-washington?variant=1094931049 , captures not just a peek behind the curtain of a stage set with these photos; it tears the curtains down, kicks over klieg lights, hitches up 16 mule trains pulling walls from the theater.

Soldier's Home

Government blacksmith shop

Washington, DC defenses

Another street view, DC

The Ringold House

Old Treasury

Effects of Early's attack

Gardner's studio

Georgetown waterfront

Grand Review

Spectators Grand Review

Inside Harewood

Washington Hotel inside Camp Griffin at Chain Bridge

Long Bridge

Hotel again, by bridge

 

[JPK Huson 1863]

Great Falls, Potomac

Washington National Cemetery

Washington Sanitary Commission

Inside White House- little bit post-war

White House, 1857

Monument, in progress

 

[donna]

Some great photos. You always find so many good ones.

 

[PeterT]

These are fabulous!

 

[Anna Elizabeth Henry]

Awesome photos, as always! Felt like I stepped back in time while looking at these. Its amazing to think how much its changed since those simple times of cows grazing in public spaces and people could just walk right up to the White House lawn and look around. I wonder how women didn't ruin those huge hoop skirts with all that mucky mud around town. Ugh, imagine having to wash it without a washing machine. Makes me appreciate how much easier domestic chores are today.

 

[JPK Huson 1863]

Washington, DC, the Capitol Dome nearing completion I guess 1863 or so? Lincoln's first inaugural was a few short years earlier with much less progress in the back ground. From photographs, the building project was so, so slow this photo must have been months afterwards ( although only a guess ). Botanical Gardens in foreground, wonder what they called that fence before Gettysburg and ' Pickett Fences '- the phrase coined supposedly because Pickett's men walked across that field next to each other, boom boom boom like fence posts. No idea if this is true.

Taken from the dome? This is one of those shots which looks weirdly 60's urban, or would if you didn't see the Smithsonian way out there. Building materials and debris look like cars at first glance, no? Does anyone know what street this is, then what streets we're looking at running from it, please?