Description: The Smithsonian Institution Building, or Castle, was designed by architect James Renwick, Jr. Construction began in 1847 and was finished in 1855. The statue in front of the Castle, which is visible in many of these postcards, is of Joseph Henry, who was the first Secretary of the Smithsonian. The postcards in this gallery provide exterior views of the Castle.
Description: Photographs and other images at the Smithsonian Institution Archives are not in a central file, but are dispersed throughout its collections. However, there are a few collections which are mostly devoted to photographs. Many digitized images from these and other collections can be found Archives' Collection Search. Most online images can be downloaded in low resolution