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Circa 1912. "Panorama of Virginia State Capitol, Richmond." Part II of this view, each made from two 8x10 inch glass negatives. View full size.
The centerpiece of this view is the Virginia State Capitol, designed by Thomas Jefferson while he was serving as the American ambassador to France (in 1785). He modeled it on one of his favorite buildings, the ancient Roman temple known as the Maison Carree in Nimes, France. The building was constructed by a Richmond contractor named Samuel Dobie, who made several departures from Jefferson's design in the executed building (built 1786-1798). This is reputed to be the first building in the history of Western architecture to be modeled directly on the form of an ancient temple; many, many more were to follow. The relatively sympathetic wings on either side of Jefferson's central block were added in 1904-1906.
These two photos appear likely to have been staged from the top of the Hotel Rueger, which would have still had new carpet smell when they were taken.
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