This portrait of Lewis Powell captures the likeness of the man who tried to kill Secretary of State William Seward in 1865. It's a powerful reminder of the human dimension of history and the power of images to evoke the past.
Explore a 1918 photo of World War I soldiers motoring through Washington, DC with pictures. Look at the soldiers, woman, bucket, and more to see what stories can be found in the photo.
What was life like living in a Washington boarding house during World War II? Here is a series of photos showing the life of young men and women in their communal living arrangements.
Explore an 1857 view of Washington, D.C. with the Smithsonian in the distance. Click on the image for a larger version to study. See if you can spot the Washington Monument just out of the frame on the right.
Discover a fascinating photo from 1947 featuring a very young John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon as peers during their time in the House of Representatives.
Take a look back in time at the construction of the Washington DC Metro with photos from the Metro's Facebook page. See the work that went into building the tunnel near Forest Glen, emergency stairs, Silver Spring station, Gallery Place-Chinatown and Archives.
