"A View of the Capitol of the United States after the Conflagration of 24 August 1814"

By George Munger, 1814

Courtesy of the Library of Congress

After the fire, the Capitol was a smoke-scarred shell, its central section completely destroyed. The roof of the House had collapsed and the Senate chamber was gutted. Most of the building’s artwork had cracked and blistered. The Capitol’s furniture and window frames had been used to fuel the fire and the library’s 3000 books were ash.