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Capitol Scenes: 1900 - 1950


 

 
Autogiro airplane in front of Capitol
 

Autogiro airplane, with Senator Hiram Bingham as a passenger, takes off from the east plaza of the Capitol, July 1931. [Library of Congress LC-USZ62-111347]

Senate pages play baseball with senator
 

Senator George Wharton Pepper (PA) takes time for a game of baseball with Senate pages on the Capitol grounds. [Senate Historical Office]

Bonus Marchers in front of the Capitol
 

Bonus Marchers await the outcome of the Senate vote on the 'bonus bill' for veterans of the First World War, 1932. [Senate Historical Office]

Two women and a man dancing the Charleston in front of the Capitol
 

Representative T.S. McMillan of Charleston, SC, watches as flappers do the Charleston with the Capitol in the background, 1920's. [Library of Congress, LC-USZ62-93721]

Changing the clock for the first daylight saving time.
 

Senate Sergeant at Arms Charles Higgins turns forward the Ohio Clock for the first Daylight Saving Time, while Senators William Calder (NY), William Saulsbury, Jr. (DE), and Joseph T. Robinson (AR) look on, 1918. [Senate Historical Office]

Fire at the Capitol
 

Fire fighters extend their ladders as they fight a fire at the Capitol, 1930. [Library of Congress, LC-USZ62-92400]

Frying eggs near the Capitol
 

Two women fry eggs on a cement wall near the Capitol, 1929. [Library of Congress, LC-USZ62-87410]

Government Printing Office trucks in front of the Capitol
 

Trucks from the Government Printing Office line the front of the Capitol, ready to unload copies of the Congressional Record, 1920's. [Senate Historical Office]

Native Americans in Front of the Capitol
 

Native American chiefs of the Yakama tribe pose in front of the Capitol, 1927. [Library of Congress, LC-USZ62-111354]

The Library of Congress in the Capitol
 

The Library of Congress, seen here around 1890, was originally located in the Capitol. [Library of Congress, LC-USZ62-598]

Mowing the Capitol lawn
 

A maintenance worker mows the Capitol lawn. [Library of Congress, LC-USZ62-87967]

Newsboys in front of Capitol
 

Young newsboys pause from selling papers to pose in front of the Capitol, 1912.  [Library of Congress, LC-USZ62-30472]

Senate Page and Capitol Police Officer
 

The smallest Senate page and the largest Capitol police officer, 1940. [Senate Historical Office]

Senate Page in the Senate Chamber
 

A Senate page at work in the Senate Chamber. [Senate Historical Office]

Prayer in the Senate Chamber
 

Senate Chaplain Zebarney Phillips opens the Senate session with a prayer, February 21, 1939. [Senate Historical Office]

Official Reporters of Debates
 

Official Reporters of Debates in their Capitol office, 1908. [Senate Historical Office]

Spraying trees on the Capitol grounds
 

Workers use trucks and hoses to spray the trees on the Capitol grounds. [Library of Congress, LC-USZ62-77387]

Cleaning the Statue of Freedom on the Capitol Dome.
 

Workers pause from cleaning the Statue of Freedom on top of the U.S. Capitol Dome. [Library of Congress, LC-USZ62-104012]

Early Senate subway car
 

Early Senate subway car carries passengers between the Capitol and the Senate office building. [Library of Congress, LC-USZ62-20642]

Streetcars on the Capitol grounds
 

Streetcars on the Capitol grounds. [Library of Congress, LC-USZ62-10027]

France presents two Sevres vases to the U.S. Senate
 

France presents two Sevres vases to the U.S. Senate on the Capitol steps, 1918. The vases now stand in the Senate Lobby. [Senate Historical Office]