BALLOU'S PICTORIAL, Boston, April 19, 1856  

* United States Capitol Building illustration

The front page features an emblematic print of the: "State of Illinois" with a related article. 
Other prints within include a full page with 3 prints of transportation in India; a wonderful & large, tipped-in doublepage centerfold of the; "NATIONAL CAPITOL". Also a print of: "A Southern Planter's Home in Alabama".
Sixteen pages, good condition.

background: Step into a pivotal moment in American history with this breathtaking April 19, 1856, masterpiece from Ballou’s Pictorial. This isn't just a newspaper; it is a stunning time capsule featuring a massive, double-page centerfold engraving of the United States Capitol as a soaring symbol of a nation on the brink of its greatest trial. Published five years before the Civil War, this "vision of grandeur" showcases architect Thomas U. Walter’s ambitious design, famously depicting the iconic cast-iron dome while it was still a skeleton of scaffolding in reality. For a collector, this is the ultimate "pre-war" artifact: an expansive, 22-inch panoramic wood-cut that captured the imagination of the 19th-century public and continues to command the room today with its intricate detail and raw, patriotic ambition. Ownership of this issue means holding the very image that defined the American identity during the height of its expansion—a rare, museum-quality centerpiece that bridges the gap between a young republic and the superpower it was destined to become.