![]() He arrived in Washington in September 1897 to capture the Capitol and Library of Congress and their grounds. Eddy stayed on the ground and opened the shutter with a string. Eddy developed a contraption that hoisted a camera hundreds of feet in the air, supported by tandem kites. Eddy produced this 1897 view of the Capitol, using nine tandem kites to hoist a camera more than 500 feet above ground (map image six). tiles/non-collection/1/1-4-photo-aerial-Eddy-kite-NASM.xml Image courtesy of the National Air and Space Museum Archives, Smithsonian Institution William A. Although photography had been around since the 1820s, the first photograph taken from a hot-air balloon was created by the French photographer Nadar in 1858. This balloon-view engraving was created by an artist, not a photographer. Harper’s Weekly published the image as “Balloon View of Washington, D.C.,” emphasizing the popular aeronautic technology of the time. One engraving in the House Collection shows the Capitol dome, from the air, under construction in 1861 (map image one). The location on the map is based on the approximate vantage point of the image.īird’s-eye views have been around since before airplanes, spaceships, or photography. The map below shows views around the Capitol from above, arranged by date. Now, these photographs, stereoviews, and engravings show us the changing history of the area around the Capitol. Taken from hot-air balloons, airplanes, kites, blimps, and tall buildings, early aerial views brought a futuristic new perspective of Washington, D.C., to the public. ![]()
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