Capitol Building under construction in 1861 with Washington City Canal in the foreground cropped By Justin Shubow | Published October 4, 2019 | Full size is 785 × 364 pixels Capitol Building under construction in 1861 with Washington City Canal in the foreground cropped-Capitol-Building-under-construction-in-1861-with-Washington-City-Canal-in-the-foreground-cropped.jpg West Front of Capitol Dome under Construction(Note gatehouse at left of axial walk,) July 1861 (Library of Congress) Bookmark the permalink.