General Post Office from the corner of 8th Street and E Street, NW, Washington, D.C., the shop of Elija Dyer, merchant tailor, on the left

The Old Post Office at 8th and E Street, NW – An 1846 Daguerreotype from John Plumbe

Published Updated 1 min readby

Following up on our Postal Service theme from earlier today, here’s a great afternoon photo for you to stare at for a bit. It’s a daguerreotype taken by John Plumbe in 1846 featuring the post office at 8th and E St. NW (now the Hotel Monaco).

al Post Office from the corner of 8th Street and E Street, NW, Washington, D.C., the shop of Elija Dyer, merchant tailor, on the left (Library of Congress)
General Post Office from the corner of 8th Street and E Street, NW, Washington, D.C., the shop of Elija Dyer, merchant tailor, on the left (Library of Congress)

Post this to Facebook for your friends to check out.

Thanks again to the Library of Congress for their excellent archives.

Some of our stories are researched and written with help from AI, and checked by a person before they run. Here’s how we use AI.

Explore the Archive
The Best Of Old Ads & Classifieds Then and Now Lost History GoDCers Love Maps
From the Crazy Vault Faces & Places of Yesterday If Walls Could Talk Historical Events Notable People & Places
This Day in History Guest Posts Three Things… A Personal Story Why Is It Named…?