Incomplete Washington Monument in Wood Engraving from 1882

We found this cool wood engraving from 1882, meant to depict the National Mall looking from the South. In the image, you can see buildings like the Smithsonian Institution in the lower middle.

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We found this cool wood engraving from 1882, meant to depict the National Mall looking from the South. In the image, you can see buildings like the Smithsonian Institution in the lower middle. Off to the left is the best part, though. Since the wood carving was created in 1882, the Washington Monument had not yet been completed.

Our national capital, viewed from the South. Source: Library of Congress

As we’ve written about before, construction on the Monument was slow, and actually stopped because of a lack of funds, and the Civil War. It wasn’t completed until February 21, 1885. If you visit the Monument today, you can see where the construction stopped, because the stones are different colors.