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The Man Painting the Flagpole at the Capitol Building on July 11, 1939 – Jack Tarzan

This is an interesting photo of a man precariously perched on a flag pole near the Capitol Building. It was taken on July 11th, 1939 as the man (Jack Tarzan) was painting the flagpole. The safety equipment of the day looks a little weak. Here's the story of Jack Tarzan and his painting job at the Capitol Building.
Lafayette Park seen from the Old Executive Office Building in 1919 (RU007355 - Martin A. Gruber Photograph Collection, 1919-1924, Smithsonian Institution Archives )
Carver Barracks on Meridian Hill during the Civil War
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This is an interesting photo of a man precariously perched on a flag pole near the Capitol Building. It was taken on July 11th, 1939 as the man (Jack Tarzan) was painting the flagpole. The safety equipment of the day looks a little weak. Okay … his real name wasn’t Tarzan, just a nickname.

Washington, D.C., July 11, 1939. There comes a time each year when things around Capitol Hill need a bit of fresh paint, flagpoles no exception. Here is the flagpole over the Senate Office Building getting its new paint job, curiously enough, from a steeple-jack named Tarzan--Jack Tarzan
Washington, D.C., July 11, 1939. There comes a time each year when things around Capitol Hill need a bit of fresh paint, flagpoles no exception. Here is the flagpole over the Senate Office Building getting its new paint job, curiously enough, from a steeple-jack named Tarzan–Jack Tarzan

You can read a good blog post about this shot at the Library of Congress’ blog.

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