Washington The Beautiful Capital of the Nation

“This Aero View of Washington is the most remarkable map picture that has ever been made.”

The quote from the block of text in the lower right of the image goes on: “It shows the city in perspective from a point of vantage east of the Congressional Library looking northwest, thus including the most attractive suburbs with the Capitol in the foreground.” The view truly is an impressive one; a two-year-long effort created from hundreds of ground-level sketches of individual monuments, buildings, parks, and residences. Bold labels within the image identify prominent landmarks while an accompanying index at the bottom of the sheet pinpoints the locations of dozens public buildings and places of interest.

The view was designed by William Olsen and published in 1923 by the Baltimore & Ohio (B&O) Railroad. Self-styled as “America’s First Railroad,” the B&O was approaching its 100th anniversary at the time of publication. The Baltimore & Ohio Union Station can be seen center right, though this is a misnomer. The station was constructed nearly 20 years prior in conjunction with the Pennsylvania Railroad. Accompanying the view is a 48-page guidebook measuring 6″ x 9″ featuring a large-scale map of the city, numerous photographs, and extensive information on the locations of interest identified within.