I was recently reading a book about alley life in Washington and found myself looking at a rather remarkable picture: the pediment of the Senate Office Building rising above a decrepit alley. As it turns out, I was not the only one impressed by this image. It is used on the book’s dust cover as […]
I have often written about guide books to Washington D.C., focusing on what they have to say about Capitol Hill. So when I found a thick volume entitled Thirty Years in Washington, I had to get it. Written by “Mrs. John A Logan” – actually Mary Simmerson Cunningham Logan [pictured] – the book is subtitled […]
While the Capitol has been the backdrop for, and even the site of, many feats of flying, none have managed to combine hilarity with tragedy quite like the one a number of newsreel cameras managed to catch on October 25, 1935. Crowds had gathered on the lawn of the Library of Congress that day to […]
Last week, we looked at an early attempt to film on the east front of the Capitol, and the mistakes made in the reporting in the immediate aftermath. Today, it is time to look at what happened to the film thereafter. While the Capitol Police spent most of their time pointing fingers, and, in particular, […]
Have you ever wanted to go for a walk, but one that is narrated by someone who really knows what they are talking about in terms of history, architecture, the lowdown and the dirty gossip from an era long gone? Then get your clicking fingers ready and clear your calendar from Saturday, September 15 until […]