Washington The Beautiful Capital of the Nation

This striking bird’s-eye view of Washington, D.C. captures the nation’s capital in an idealized “City Beautiful” light. Originally issued circa 1920 as a promotional piece for the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, this later reprint by the Williams & Heintz Map Corporation removes the railroad branding to provide an unobstructed view of the horizon looking southwest. The Capitol Building dominates the foreground, anchored within a pristine, well-ordered street grid that reflects the grand vision of the McMillan Plan. Identifiable landmarks include the Washington Monument, Union Station, and the “New National Museum” (now the National Museum of Natural History). Notably, the Pension Office is emphasized – a deliberate inclusion intended to assist World War I veterans navigating the city for their benefits. Overall, the image presents a sanitized, utopian version of the capital: smoke-free skies, orderly tree-lined boulevards, and uniform housing blocks that omit the urban congestion and tenement chaos of the era.