Almost eighty-five years after George Washington died, a monument dedicated to his accomplishments was finally completed. The project took so long because no one could agree on what the monument should look like!
A Monumental Occasion
Almost eighty-five years after George Washington died, a monument dedicated to his accomplishments was finally completed. The project took so long because no one could agree on what the monument should look like!
Also, the Civil War and fundraising problems were to blame. Finally, in 1876 President Grant became determined to see it completed. The monument, a simple but towering obelisk, was finally dedicated on February 21, 1885.
This photograph, taken in 1975 by Kenneth Josephson, shows the Washington Monument from one of its most striking vantage points.
Pictured: Kenneth Josephson, born 1932, Washington, D.C. 1975, from the series Archaeological Series, 6 Inch Contour Gauge, 1975, gelatin silver print on paper, 7 15/16 x 12 1/16 in., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the National Endowment for the Arts.