Ghosts of DCThe lost and untold stories of Washington

Try an address, a neighborhood, a name or a year, like “14th and U” or “1968.”

Not sure where to start?
Best OfThe stories readers come back toAtlasOur stories, on a mapPodcastOur stories, told aloud
Faces & Places of Yesterday

A Man and Boy Displaying Papers on F Street in 1885

A Library of Congress photograph from 1885 showing a man and a boy in summer straw hats displaying unidentifiable papers on F Street in Washington, D.C.

Posted 1 min read
Atlas
Photo shows a man and a boy in summer straw hats happily displaying some unidentifiable papers on F Street, with the Treasury and a new electric hooded arc streetlight in the background. One of a series of scenes near Painter's office at 14th and E streets, this picture bears the hallmarks of the new "snapshot" style now made possible by the invention of the quick, hand-held Kodak: natural smiles and the movement of the ladies under the umbrella.
Photo shows a man and a boy in summer straw hats happily displaying some unidentifiable papers on F Street, with the Treasury and a new electric hooded arc streetlight in the background. One of a series of scenes near Painter's office at 14th and E streets, this picture bears the hallmarks of the new "snapshot" style now made possible by the invention of the quick, hand-held Kodak: natural smiles and the movement of the ladies under the umbrella.

Check out this great old photo from 1885.

Photo shows a man and a boy in summer straw hats happily displaying some unidentifiable papers on F Street, with the Treasury and a new electric hooded arc streetlight in the background. One of a series of scenes near Painter's office at 14th and E streets, this picture bears the hallmarks of the new "snapshot" style now made possible by the invention of the quick, hand-held Kodak: natural smiles and the movement of the ladies under the umbrella.
Photo shows a man and a boy in summer straw hats happily displaying some unidentifiable papers on F Street, with the Treasury and a new electric hooded arc streetlight in the background. One of a series of scenes near Painter’s office at 14th and E streets, this picture bears the hallmarks of the new “snapshot” style now made possible by the invention of the quick, hand-held Kodak: natural smiles and the movement of the ladies under the umbrella. (Library of Congress)

We use AI to help research, write and edit stories across our sites. Here’s how we use AI.Suggest a correction

Filed underFaces & Places of Yesterday

Topics1880s · Department of Treasury

The Email

Lost Washington stories, in your inbox.

The newest story, plus a few from the archive.

Free. Unsubscribe anytime.

Pass it on

Know someone who’d like this?

Send it to them.

Email it

Readers’ favorites

1791 L'Enfant Plan of the new cityWhy Is There No J Street in Washington, DC?7 min readEpisodeRowhouses in the Trinidad neighborhood of Northeast DC, March 2007How Washington’s Trinidad Neighborhood Got Its Name2 min readWillie McCover 1974 Topps Washington "Nat'l Lea"1974 Washington Padres: Topps Cards for the ‘Washington Stars’8 min read
On the Atlas

See where this happened.

F Street near the Treasury

Open the map

More from the 1880s

Six-story neoclassical 1912 Army and Navy Club building seen from the corner, with early automobiles parked along the curbThe Army and Navy Club at 17th and I6 min readBlack and white photograph of cast-iron columns inside the first floor rear room of the Atlantic Building at 930 F Street NW, the room that became the original 9:30 ClubThe Original 9:30 Club and Its Home on F Street11 min readBartholdi Fountain Almost Moved to Dupont Circle in 18813 min read