The unfinished Washington Monument
The unfinished Washington Monument, seen to the right in a Civil War period photograph, was not the capital landmark that it is today. Simplified from the original 1836 design by Robert Mills, the Washington Monument was not to be totally completed inside and out for twentyfive more years, in 1888. In Lincolns presidency it remained the stub seen here, construction halted. Even had it been finished, it likely would have been eclipsed by the colossal new dome on the Capitol, completed during the war, that won Americans hearts as the symbol of Union.
- Medium
- Photo
- Credit
- Library of Congress
