Washington, The Capital (1981)
Washington, The Capital was published with 89 photographs by Robert Llewellyn through Thomasson-Grant in 1981, with a forward by Clement E. Conger. Leatherbound copies with a gold-leaf presidential seal became the official White House gift to visiting dignitaries in the Reagan White House.
In this celebrated work the photographer concentrates on "the city as monuments, on what an explorer of some future time might find in a deserted Washington."
"As I was making these photographs of Washington, I began to see how much the center of the city was a concentration of temples — temples dedicated to government, to power and culture, to wise men and national leaders, to the dead." — Robert Llewellyn
As stated on the cover, "These photographs of the capital of the New World show not only the Washington of today, but the essential Washington that may remain throughout the eternal tomorrows." Llewllyn captures the mist rising up from the Potomac River, the sun coming up on the Jefferson Memorial, and distinctive neighborhoods like Georgetown.
The U.S. State Department also presented Washington, The Capital as an official gift to foreign dignitaries. Several major corporations used the book as a gift to visitors to the capital city.
Press
"The beauty of the natural setting, the city's sensuous qualities of sculpture and architecture and its unabashed grandeur are all here in fresh and surprising images." — American Photography
"It is a collection of exquisite, formal color photographs of various landmarks and scenes showing the city as a paradise on the Potomac, devoid of people, plane crashes or urban problems." — San Francisco Examiner
Reviews
- "Books in Brief" in the San Francisco Examiner; March 14, 1982.
- American Photography, May 1982.
Details
Title: Washington, The Capital
Photographs: Robert Llewellyn
Words: forward by Clement E. Conger
Publisher: Thomasson-Grant
Year: 1981
Format: Hardcover; coffee table
Pages: 117 pp
Dimensions: 11.5 x 9 x 0.8 inches
Images: 89 photographs
ISBN-10: 0934738025
ISBN-13: 978-0934738026
Availability
Washington, The Capital is currently out of print. Copies can be arranged through Alibris, Amazon, and other online sites.
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