The Library of Congress: North Staircase

This public domain photo is from the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, Detroit Publishing Company Collection.

This small image captures the north staircase in the central stair hall at the Library of Congress. Two ornate arches in the foreground frame a staircase visible through the right arch. A statue at the foot of the banister appears to represent lady justice with a scale held aloft in her left hand.

This stock image was developed in cyanotype, a simple developing technique originating in the mid-nineteenth century. It entailed the use of only two chemicals, potassium ferricyanide and ferric ammonium citrate, which combined to create a photosensitive solution. This solution could be applied to nearly any paper or fabric to create a photosensitive surface. The image resulting from the exposure of this surface with a negative to ultraviolet light was a uniformly cyan-blue photograph.

The vast majority of the stock images within the Detroit Publishing Company Collection were published prior to 1920, when normal business operations were suspended. These images all reside within the public domain due to their pre-1923 publication date. This collection of stock images has passed through a series of libraries and historical societies. Our assumption is that these transfers were intended to facilitate greater access to the public. The Library of Congress notes “no known restrictions” on use.

441 kilobyte TIFF. Hosted at the Library of Congress.