A
daguerreotype of the
United States Capitol in 1846, with the original green
copper dome as designed by
Charles Bulfinch. Over time, extensions to both the north and south wings, made to accommodate the addition of new
states to the Union, made the dome aesthetically displeasing, and as a result, it was replaced by a white
cast iron dome which was completed in 1866.
Daguerreotype credit: John Plumbe