Documentary & Editorial Photographer Based in Washington D.C. Email: robb@robbhill.com Phone: 773.209.2628
35 Views of the Capitol
The U.S. Capitol Building at sunset on November 19, 2022.
Michigan Representative Dan Kildee talks with a reporter on steps of the US...READ ON
Michigan Representative Dan Kildee talks with a reporter on steps of the US Capitol after the vote to hold Steve Bannon in contempt of congress, Oct 21, 2021.
ABC Congressional Correspondent, Rachel Scott, in the TV press area in Cannon...READ ON
ABC Congressional Correspondent, Rachel Scott, in the TV press area in Cannon Office Building on July 27. 2021, the first day of the January 6th Commission.
U.S. House members and people from Asian-American organizations hold a press...READ ON
U.S. House members and people from Asian-American organizations hold a press conference on the steps of the U.S Capitol on March 16, 2022 about the rise in violence towards Asian-Americans.
A man looks at the mass of people marching toward the U.S. Capitol on January, 6, 2021.
The U.S. Capitol is surrounded by fencing with razor wire after the January...READ ON
The U.S. Capitol is surrounded by fencing with razor wire after the January 6th insurrection, January, 17, 2021.
The fence around the capitol campus became a go to for tourist. A woman takes...READ ON
The fence around the capitol campus became a go to for tourist. A woman takes a selfie from Massachusetts Ave on January 17, 2021.
Soldiers of the Virginia National Guard take a tour of the U.S. Capitol...READ ON
Soldiers of the Virginia National Guard take a tour of the U.S. Capitol rotunda in January 16, 2021. They are stationed at Capitol before the inauguration of Joe Biden.
A video truck parked on the Union Station grounds shows scenes from the...READ ON
A video truck parked on the Union Station grounds shows scenes from the January 6, 2021 insurrection on February, 9, 2021.
At the US Capitol on January 6, 2022 one year after the insurrection.
Stefan Borg from TV4 News Sweden does a live segment for the evening news in...READ ON
Stefan Borg from TV4 News Sweden does a live segment for the evening news in Sweden on the west side of the U.S. Capitol on February 9, 2021, the first day of the Senate Impeachment Trial of former president Donald Trump.
Families at the the base of the Washington Monument, May 16, 2021.
A man takes a nap on The National Mall, what’s been called "the...READ ON
A man takes a nap on The National Mall, what’s been called "the nation’s front yard," on May, 31, 2021.
On good days skateboarders can be found at Freedom Plaza along Pennsylvania...READ ON
On good days skateboarders can be found at Freedom Plaza along Pennsylvania Ave in Washington D.C. Santiago Penta, attempts a trick on May, 31, 2021.
A masked man rides as horse on The National Mall during a the Black Voters...READ ON
A masked man rides as horse on The National Mall during a the Black Voters Matter and DC Statehood rally on the National Mall on June, 26, 2021.
Maureen Cohen Harrington of Washington DC takes a selfie as Capitol Police in...READ ON
Maureen Cohen Harrington of Washington DC takes a selfie as Capitol Police in riot gear stand at the ready near the stage during the Justice for J6 rally on September 18, 2021.
What remains of the first big snow of 2022 at the US Capitol Building and...READ ON
What remains of the first big snow of 2022 at the US Capitol Building and grounds, January 8, 2022.
Two friends make a TikTok video on the west terrace of the U.S. Supreme Court on July, 23, 2021.
Looking south from a bridge going over North Capitol Ave. at the U.S. Capitol...READ ON
Looking south from a bridge going over North Capitol Ave. at the U.S. Capitol on August, 24, 2021.
The US Capitol Building at sunrise on December 14, 2021.
Tennessee Senator Bob Corker takes questions from reporters outside the...READ ON
Tennessee Senator Bob Corker takes questions from reporters outside the Senate Chamber on December, 21, 2018.
A tourist takes a photo inside the Capitol Rotunda on March 16, 2022.
A worker cleans up debris from the renovation of the Smithsonian Air and...READ ON
A worker cleans up debris from the renovation of the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum on August, 24, 2021.
A couple have a moment on The National Mall on June, 21, 2019.
Members of United We Dream and CASA hold a protest on The National Mall on March 18, 2021.
4th of July fireworks as seen from the east side of the U.S. Capitol, 2021.
Liberty University President Jerry Prevo prays at the U.S. Capitol on...READ ON
Liberty University President Jerry Prevo prays at the U.S. Capitol on December 1st, 2021 as the Supreme Court hears the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case.
A reporter asks Don Folden of Capital Buddy Tours to turn down his music so...READ ON
A reporter asks Don Folden of Capital Buddy Tours to turn down his music so she can record a segment on February 9, 2021, the first day of the Senate Impeachment Trial of former president Donald Trump.
A member of United We Dream and CASA texts on his phone before a protest on...READ ON
A member of United We Dream and CASA texts on his phone before a protest on The National Mall on March 18, 2021.
On the steps outside the House Chamber of the US Capitol Building, Oct 21, 2021.
The US Capitol Building during a winter rain/snow shower on January, 28, 2022.
A Secret Service officer gives directions to someone near the fencing...READ ON
A Secret Service officer gives directions to someone near the fencing that’s around the U.S. Capitol campus days before the Biden Inauguration, January 16, 2021 in Washington D.C.
Tourist shade their eyes while taking a tour of the U.S. Capitol building...READ ON
Tourist shade their eyes while taking a tour of the U.S. Capitol building with the statue of James A. Garfield in the background on October 4, 2018.
Construction on Maryland Ave on in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of...READ ON
Construction on Maryland Ave on in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Washington D.C. on June, 16, 2021.
The U.S. Capitol building at sunrise on October 15, 2021.
As glass was being swept up, damages repaired, and the fence went up around the U.S. Capitol grounds after the insurrection on January 6th, 2021 I started taking walks around the parameter to photograph. With the public prohibited from entering what has been called “The People’s House,” I started thinking of how the Capitol, the building itself, exists in our lives. Visually, it’s shorthand for our Government. Metaphorically, the Capitol represents the rights and freedoms enjoyed by American citizens.
The Capitol building is not visible from everywhere in D.C. but its presence is constantly felt. From under the dome comes our laws, our culture clashes, our history, and our future as a nation. Every so often these jurisprudential and philosophical aspects of the Capitol give way to the more, well, pedestrian, when streets are closed during protests, rallies, and motorcades.
As I walk the streets of D.C. photographing I keep thinking of Katsushika Hokusai’s series of ukiyo-e woodcuts, Thirty-six Views of Mt. Fuji. In Hokusai's vision the sacred mountain is eternal and indifferent to the world of people. While the Capitol, as a physical presence, feels indifferent as Mt. Fuji. Because the Capitol is a human construction we imbue it with layers of meaning. It’s a symbol of freedom that was built, to a large extent, by slaves. It’s a hallowed place that’s found on on t-shirts, key-chains, and hats in every tchotchke shop in the District. From reverence to scorn the deeper meanings of the Capitol are what we project on to it.
The U.S. Capitol Building is what it needs to be, for everyone.
Robb Hill
Robb Hill is a photographer based in Washington DC who covers politics and culture with a humanist eye.