Aerial View of the Pentagon

Aerial view of the Pentagon December 21, 1948.

The image presents a sweeping aerial perspective of the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense captured in December 1948, the symmetry of the five-sided structure clearly laid out among grounds and roadways, the emerging Cold War era atmosphere subtly implied by the minimalist environment. The vantage point underscores the scale of the building in relation to the surrounding terrain and transport pathways, lending a sense of strategic magnitude to the composition.

Printed with crisp photographic clarity, the piece reveals fine architectural detail in the façade, the orderly road circulation around the site, and the period textures of the air-view vantage. It is well suited for a dedicated display of mid-twentieth-century American infrastructure, architectural milestones, or collection themes focused on historic government-building imagery.