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State Capitols
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Indiana
Postcard & Image Gallery

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Indiana's First Capitol, 1816 - 1825.
Erected 1812, Corydon, Ind.

Vintage postcard published circa 1920.

This is a black-and-white view of Indiana's first state capitol building in Corydon. The capital was moved to Indianapolis in 1824.

 
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Old State House, Corydon, Ind.
Antique, Undivided Back postcard published circa 1905.

This view of the Corydon capitol building shows a different, elongated cupola. Since the card is essentially a photograph, it is likely accurate for its time.

 

  Corydon, Indiana State House
 
  Book illustration of the old Indianapolis capitol

State Capitol, Indianapolis.
Book illustration published by Baskin, Forster & Co. Lakeside Building Chicago in 1876. Engraved & Printed by Chas. Shober & Co. Proprietors of Chicago Lithographing Co.

Built from 1831 to 1835, this capitol was the first structure in Indianapolis built and used only as a state capitol. The construction was inferior, and many features failed, including a ceiling which collapsed. A new capitol was commissioned, and this one was demolished in 1877.

 

 
 
 

Capitol Building, Indianapolis, Ind.
Pre-linen postcard published by Illustrated Postcard circa 1920.

You might notice every image of this capitol is from the same, oblique angle. Today the capitol is surrounded by taller city structures with little grounds area on three sides. If the area was the same 100 years ago, that would explain the similar views.

 
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The Indiana State Capitol. Indianapolis, Ind.
Antique postcard published circa 1905 by
Raphael Tuck & Sons. Printed in England.

Ladies in long dresses and large hats, a horse-drawn conveyance, dirt roads, and no other large buiildings in sight. Oh, how this scene has changed today!

 
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State Capitol, Indianapolis, Ind.
Antique postcard published circa 1910.

In this view, the cupola roof is bright gold, the central dome is green, and the remaining visible roofing is blue. It is not likely these colors are accurate. The artists who painted the black-and-white images for these cards sometimes had to guess what colors to use.

 
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State House Indianapolis Ind
Antique postcard. Copyright 1904 by Detroit Photographic Co.

The overall green tone of this view makes the yellow shades in the windows more obvious. They appear in another view above, but are not so noticeable there.

 
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Indiana State Capitol, Indianapolis, Ind.
Antique, embossed postcard published circa 1905 by S. Langsdorf & Co. Publishing, New York, N. Y. Made in Germany.

The entire border of this card is textured with embossing, and the light brown decorations in the border are gold-tone. The state seal is in the center of the medallion.

 

  Indiana state capitol in a patriotic border
 
  Indiana state flower and state capitol

"Corn" Indiana State Flower
Indiana State Capitol, Indianapolis, Indiana.

Antique postcard. Copyright 1908 by Williamson-Haffner Co., Denver.

The verse reads:

Plentiful is Nature's manna
Golden corn of Indiana,
O good and fair and great
We hail our own loved state.

 

 
 
 

Indiana State Capitol at Night
Indianapolis, Indiana.

Vintage linen postcard published circa 1930.

Night views were very popular. Now we can take night photographs, but the artists of the early twentieth century had to heavily tint daytime, black-and-white photos.

 

  Indiana state capitol at night
 
  Aerial view of the capitol and area

Birds-eye view looking west from the Monument, Indianapolis Ind.
Antique postcard published circa 1910, shown here cropped.

Every postcard of the current Indiana state capitol above shows it from the same angle. This unusual, aerial view helps explain why. The capitol sits near the street in front, and there are buildings across the street blocking the view. To capture the whole structure at ground level, the photographers went to the side.

 

 
 


More on Indiana:
Telling Them Apart, It's In the Drum
What's On Top, Flagstaffs (on domes)
Favorites, Just Because
Capital & Capitol History
Old & New Capitol Timeline


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Page Last Updated: Feb-06-2017

Site Author: Valerie Mockaitis     ©2005 - 2017 Valerie Mockaitis