Antebellum era

A monochrome 1845 photograph of the U.S. Capitol building with men in top hats standing nearby.
A group of men in 1850s attire gather around a wooden table in a timber-walled room to draft legislation in the Nebraska Territory.
A monochrome 1857 scene of the U.S. House of Representatives chamber during a corruption investigation.
John Tyler stands at a desk in a formal 1841 Washington D.C. setting, asserting his authority as President.
A sepia-toned 1856 photograph of a fortified building in San Francisco guarded by men in period-accurate civilian clothing.
A group of men in 1840s clothing gather outside a brick building during the Dorr Rebellion in Rhode Island.
A historical reconstruction of the 1821 New York Constitutional Convention showing delegates in period-accurate clothing debating in a wood-paneled hall.